A Relationship In the Workplace
by W5Lex
Summary: Booth and Brennan go away on a case together and are forced to deal with the issue of whether a romantic relationship between them could work.
1. Pack a bag

**A/N: There were specific actors and things I had in mind when writing this. If you would like to see them (I suggest you at least take a look), then follow the address on my profile.**

**I ignored the fact that Bones and Andrew Hacker had a relationship. In this, Hacker is fond of them because of their success rate (if I was their boss, I would be…). A lot geographical stuff is completely made up because I live in the UK and have no knowledge of these things. In terms of the scientific jargon, I did a little research, but I'm no doctor so sorry if some of it's incorrect. Feel free to point it out and I'll correct it on the next update.**

**I don't claim to have ANY knowledge of the American legal system – not helped by the fact that I live in the UK. If you notice anything, let me know and I'll change it.**

**I've completed the first draft, and as it stands so far, the fic is about 27 000 words.**

**One last thing and then I'll shut up…this plot is based on a Law & Order: UK ep so some of you may recognise it from that or the American version which it is based on. I changed some things though…**

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Bones or any of it's characters. If I did, then Booth would wear less clothes, I'd have lots of money, and this fic probably wouldn't be here.

**Chapter 1: 'Pack a bag.'**

Hands searched for the source of the ringing. They lifted various files, shuffling them and moving them to the side, finally revealing the phone they were looking for."Brennan."

"Bones, it's me. We've got a case, but you're not gonna like it." To be perfectly honest, at this point, Brennan wasn't sure there was anything she would object to. She hadn't worked on a case for at least a week, and the time away from Booth - and the excitement that invariably came with him - was beginning to get monotonous.

She sighed, unwilling to let on that she'd been waiting for this call. "What is it?"

"I'll explain in the car. Pack a bag, we're going to Pittsburgh." She could tell - even through the phone - that he said the words with a smile on his face, and as a result, she couldn't help but feel optimistic.

She sighed again, more audibly this time. It didn't stop the smile that crept onto _her _face though. "Why can't they just send the body?" She knew Booth well enough by now to know that there would _be _a reason, but she asked the question all the same.

"It's a high profile-" He cut himself off, "…it's complicated and the suits don't want to take any chances. We should leave ASAP, pick you up at six?'

"Fine." She hung up the phone. Booth smiled to himself; he was looking forward to a new case with her. He'd probably never admit it, but he relished in their time alone. He sat in silence for a few minutes - stupidly smiling to himself - before his thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ring of _his_ cell phone.

"Booth." He answered the same way he always did.

"Special Agent Booth, I have a message from Assistant Deputy Director Andrew Hacker. He'd like you to pick up Special Agent Trickett on your way to Pittsburgh. He'll be travelling with you as Special Agent Hamilton has been called away to a family emergency."

Booth took a deep breath, "Okay." Even the tone of his voice was reluctant. He flipped the phone shut and leant forward to put his head in his hands. Booth wasn't fond of Trickett to say the least. Though he _had_ always been one of Brennan's greatest critics and he had to admit, he didn't want to miss the look on Trickett's face when he witnessed her brilliance first hand. Their partnership was one envied by many, and he was reminded by the other guys at the Bureau on a regular basis.

One thing he wasn't looking forward to was being reminded of Trickett's attitude towards women. He had no doubt that he would be taking a crack at _his Bones_ first chance he got.

**BONES-****BONES-****BONES-****BONES-****BONES**

Brennan glanced at her watch, Booth was due in fifteen minutes. She packed a bag, throwing in extra clothes, something to sleep in, shampoo and toothpaste and a toothbrush. Ten minutes later, there was a loud rap at the door. Brennan recognised the knock as Booth's and let the smile creep onto her face – knowing full well it would come whether she liked it or not.

Booth flashed his grin and reached down to take his partner's bag; an action that he was surprised to see her accept, though not without a grimace. He waited patiently whilst Brennan locked up and spoke as they began the walk to the SUV, placing a guiding hand on Brennan's back. "Sorry, but we've got Trickett with us tonight." He looked over to see whether the name rang any bells. Unsurprisingly, it didn't. "He's a self-indulgent clown but we should be able to get rid of him once we're there."

Brennan nodded, determined not to let the interruption of their time alone annoy her as she knew it would.

Booth knew better than to try and open her door for her. He'd already got away with taking her bag, and the last time he'd offered _this _particular gesture, she'd given him a bruise on the ribs for his trouble. He turned and chucked the bag onto the backseat with a quick warning to Trickett, "Behave yourself." The smirk that appeared on the agent's face only served to increase his aggravation at his presence. He hoped this wasn't any indication of how the rest of the trip would play out.

Brennan joined them a second later and Booth turned to initiate the introductions, "Temperance Brennan," he gestured to her, "Chace Trickett." He flicked a hand towards to the handsome blue-eyed agent.

"Nice to meet you." Booth smiled at her unusual attempt to keep things polite, and heard Trickett offer the same comment, with a rather more provocative tone. He started the engine and turned the vehicle around; this would be a painstaking drive.

**A/N: Please let me know what you think, good or bad. **


	2. I don't know what that means

**Chapter 2: 'I don't know what that means.'**

"Maybe you could show me some time?" Booth was beginning to get fed up of Trickett's flirting, and they still had three hours to go. They'd already agreed to switch drivers after the first two hours; he hadn't been keen but he was beginning to hope that the distraction would shut him up.

"Why would I do that? I work with Booth." Booth hadn't been listening closely enough to know what they were talking about, but Brennan's response was unmistakably a not-so-gentle-let-down. The tone of her voice told him that he wasn't the only one tired of Trickett's womanising conversation. He recognised it as the tone she'd used with Oliver Laurier – she was being patronising. He grinned as she said his name, more than satisfied with her declaration of her preference of the two men. It felt nice to know that she valued him, that the loyalty he felt towards her was returned.

Booth chuckled to himself quietly as Trickett retreated back into his seat, earning a confused look from Brennan. The fact that she appeared to be so oblivious only served to heighten his amusement. The rest of Booth's stint passed in relative quiet as he explained the case to her, "A guy with a metal detector found the body earlier today; the victim's watch set it off. The local sheriff called in the Feds, agents at the scene ID'd the body as-"

"If they've indentified the body, then why do you need me?" Booth wasn't unaccustomed to Brennan's frequent interruptions.

"Wha- Bones, would'ya let me finish?" She said nothing so Booth shot her a quick glare, watching until she nodded with a slight frown on her face, then returning his eyes to the road.

"So, they identified the body as," he gave another brief look to check he wouldn't be cut off for the second time, and continued, "Freddy Steel, the watch he was buried with had his name in an engraving. I got a couple of people at the Bureau to do a background check. Steel's killer, Luke Seddon, is already inside. Only problem is," he started to use his free hand to gesture, "he was charged on the basis that the police had a witness. James Whitton's testimony said that he was present at the murder and burial of Steel. During trial, the MO was a knife wound to the neck, a slit throat. Only problem is; the body was found four miles from where Whitton said it was. They couldn't dig up the body 8 years ago because it was supposed to be in a graveyard. They requested permission but the judge denied it – said that without a specific spot, they couldn't do it 'cause they'd disturb every body in the cemetery. Whitton couldn't give them an exact location and they were pretty sure they could get Seddon anyway. The guy's creepy, had history and a great motive. All the evidence pointed to him. But it gets worse," He looked over to her and sighed. If that wasn't enough to cause doubt, the next revelation certainly would, "Steel was killed by a shot to the head."

"I don't know what that means." Booth smiled to himself at the phrase, it had been a while since he'd heard that.

"What that _means_, is… " His expression cleared and he shrugged. "Well they don't know yet, that's why they called us in."

Booth rolled his eyes as Trickett tried his luck again, "They're hoping that you'll be able to help. You've got a brilliant reputation at the FBI."

"Yes. I know." Booth grinned at the frank answer; pleased to see that Trickett's attempt at charm seemed to be having no effect on Brennan, though he knew the feeling. It was a rarity for Booth's charm – that seemed to work so well with most women – would provoke any response at all from Brennan, though he had the occasional victory.

After his time was up, Booth pulled over on the side of the road and got out the car. He stretched and moved to his demoted position in the backseat, pausing when he saw that Brennan had got out too. "Wha-"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to sit in the back?" The question was directed at Trickett, whose face fell even further. "I'd like to get some rest and there's more room back there."

What could he say? "Sure." Booth did his best to hide the smile that surfaced.

**BONES-****BONES-****BONES-****BONES-****BONES**

Half an hour later, Brennan still wasn't asleep. She'd been fidgeting with her clothes, her seatbelt, her phone, trying to get comfortable enough for the sleep to take her. Booth popped the last cashew nut in his mouth and stuck the empty packet in the pocket on the back of the seat in front. Satisfied he'd been fed, he looked across at Brennan. "Com'ere." He gestured to the seat beside him.

She looked at him strangely, then pushed up the armrest that separated them. He patted his shoulder encouragingly, "Go on. Take a nap." His tone was reluctant but his eyes conveyed something entirely different.

She looked up at him, confused for a moment, before the meaning of the words dawned on her. She smiled and looked from his eyes to the shoulder. Slowly, she leant down to rest her head on the top of his arm. She closed her eyes, there was only the thin white shirt between her head and his skin, the warmth felt nice. "Thanks Booth."

He smiled to himself, glad to be able to have her close (and away from his colleague), and glad she was finally sleeping. She'd been spending too long in the lab recently, the rest would do her good.

Booth wasn't tired but the quiet purr of the engine and the soft movements of Brennan as she breathed eventually relaxed him enough that his eyes closed. He was asleep within minutes, though not before catching the glares Trickett was shooting them in the rear-view mirror.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Please review again, especially if you haven't already, then let me know what you think. If you **_**have **_**already reviewed, I'd still love to hear from you, even if it's just one word. **


	3. You'll have an assault charge

**Chapter 3: 'Tell Hacker and you'll have an assault charge on your hands.'**

**A/N: Sorry, the full title wouldn't fit in the chapter name box. Pleaassee review, it's my bday next week :D  
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Booth was jolted awake by the sharp halt of the SUV. They were stopped by some lights and he guessed from the scrutiny of Trickett's eyes watching in the rear view mirror, that the abrupt awakening had been on purpose. The SatNav said they were only five minutes away. He rubbed at his eyes letting them adjust, and straightened himself out, waking Brennan in the process. "Better?"

She nodded at him with an appreciative smile. It had been far too easy for her to fall asleep pressed against his body. She should have listened to Angela's frequent warnings against working so late.

It was dark outside, Brennan looked at her watch for the time; just gone a quarter to ten. Even she wasn't keen to start work this late, especially after the doze from which she'd only just woken. He read her mind, "Don't even think about trying to convince me to visit the scene tonight. They've got local law enforcement checking it out and people guarding the body all night anyway and there won't be enough light. We'll get up for an early breakfast tomorrow then head down, but we're gonna get settled at the hotel first. They said the body has already been there years so Hacker said there was no rush," he noted the surprise on her face, "within reason Bones, within reason." Well, he'd sort of read her mind, though maybe misinterpreted.

She smiled, "Okay." He shrugged to himself at the remarkably easy victory.

When they'd parked, Brennan got out and walked around to the trunk, immediately refusing the offer of help from Trickett to carry her bags.

As the trio walked across the lot - halfway between the SUV and the entrance - Booth noticed Trickett's intentions. He could see what was coming next. He'd dared to place an all-too-comfortable hand on her shoulder - not such a seductive touch but enough to rile Brennan - but hadn't predicted the extent of her reaction. As she spun, Brennan jabbed an elbow into the agent's stomach, hard enough that he doubled over in pain. She said nothing…she didn't need to. Once again, Booth was reminded that he should be grateful he hadn't been on the receiving end of more of those, he winced at the painful looking assail.

"What the fuck was that for, you can't do that." Trickett stayed low for half a minute before finally raising his head to meet Booth's amused gaze. He found a satisfaction in watching Brennan put the idiot in his place. "Hacker will be hearing about this you st-."

"Tell Hacker, and you'll have an assault charge on your hands," he glanced at Brennan's furious face, she looked like she wanted to do more damage, "maybe worse." There was a flicker of a smile directed at him when her victim turned away, this wasn't the first time that Booth had ignored an assault for her, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Normally he would have scolded her for unnecessarily striking someone, but on this occasion he was more than happy to let it slide.

Booth enjoyed himself as he watched Trickett straighten himself up in defeat, turning to follow them. The glares Booth got off of the agent only became more and more comical as he grew jealous of the casual but intimate touches Brennan happily accepted off of her partner; the hand on the small of the back to guide her through the door, the close proximity of their bodies as they queued to check in, the way he clasped a hand around hers when she reached to touch the back of a man's head, apparently intrigued by a discoloured patch of skin.

It was only when they'd joined the back of the line that Booth even bothered to check Trickett was still with them, he almost hoped he wasn't. But alas, he was dragging his feet, a few metres behind them, pulling his small suitcase behind him and looking more miserable than a wet donkey.

Booth noticed a raise of the eyebrow every now and then as they progressed through the queue. He thought it was because they were excluding him from the conversation, but in reality, Booth and Brennan's relationship had roused the same feelings it did for most witnesses. Jealousy. It wasn't even the fact Brennan that Brennan liked Booth that annoyed him. It really was, their relationship. Everything about their interactions showed how at ease they were with each other, and how much they enjoyed each other's company. If it wasn't for the many times Booth had been forced to explain to the others at the FBI that they _weren't _in a relationship, Trickett would have put money on the fact that they were. He thought about saying something, but he was alone, and Booth had a reputation for being protective over the anthropologist. So he kept his mouth shut, at least for the time being.


	4. That in mind, Booth drifted off to sleep

**Chapter 4: 'That in mind, Booth drifted off to sleep.'**

They finally reached the front of the line after a fifteen-minute wait. "We should have three rooms booked, under the names of Trickett, Booth and Brennan." Booth gestured to each as he said the names and the manager handed the key cards over.

"You're all on the third floor. Special Agent Booth, Miss Bren-"

"Dr."

"Of course, excuse me ma'am." Booth looked up to the ceiling as she made the correction. He wasn't sure _anyone _had ever got away with _that _mistake. "Special Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, your rooms are next to each other; numbers 302 and 303. Special Agent Trickett, you're a few doors down; room 310. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to dial the number on the phone in your rooms; that will connect you with reception. We hope you enjoy your stay." Booth thanked the man and led the way to the elevator.

The ride up was an awkward silence. Booth would have felt uncomfortable trying to start a conversation with Brennan, with Trickett so easily able to hear every word, and he certainly didn't want to talk to _Trickett_, so he kept his mouth shut. To compensate, he stood close, his arm resting on the railing behind Brennan, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from her back. He and Trickett both let out an audible breath of relief when the doors finally opened, though Brennan was seemingly entirely comfortable with the silence, an unusual thing for her.

They dropped Trickett off first. Booth let out a sigh when his door was finally closed, "Thank God. That guy is somethin' else."

Brennan stayed silent and walked to her door. She swiped the card and pushed it open, hauling her bags into the doorway before turning to her partner, "Booth, it's nice to be working with you again. I find that our time apart is very rarely as exciting as when we're together." He smiled at the unconventional articulation of such a simple sentence.

Booth lifted an arm to lean against the doorframe, their faces a few inches apart. He lifted his chin and his features settled into an expression Brennan recognised. The first time she'd seen it was the night he'd told her she was well-structured, though it had appeared a few times since then. He looked contemplative…brooding. "Yeah, Bones. It's been too long." An onlooker would have mocked them; they'd only been apart for a week and already they'd been pining for each other.

She smiled at him and took a step back into the room, "Goodnight Booth."

"'Night. I'll knock on your door, six forty-five sharp." She nodded in agreement as Booth pushed himself away from the door and headed next door to his own room.

Brennan really was exhausted. She changed into her nightwear as quickly as possible and set an alarm for 6 o'clock, then settled in for the night.

Booth took longer. He stripped and got in the shower, washing his hair and relaxing as the steaming water washed over him. He washed quickly, shaved and pulled on a pair of boxers and sweatpants, before setting _his _alarm for 6.30 and getting into bed. He smiled at how the day had gone. What had started as a trip promising to be filled with the annoyance of an unwelcome companion, had turned out to be one with more than a little to entertain, and had resulted in Brennan inadvertently expressing her loyalty to Booth. That in mind, Booth drifted off to sleep.

**A/N: Just want to remind those of you that haven't checked out the address on my profile to go check it out. The album it takes you to contains pictures and imaginings of various characters and objects in this fic.**

**Once again, please review. Sorry this is a short chapter. If enough people review, I may put up another one later today to make up for it **


	5. Her eyes widened at the sight

**A/N: A few extra reviews but I'd have felt bad not updating so her you go. I may improve this a little when I next update – I have to go out so it's a little rushed. Also, I know for a fact that a lot more ppl are reading than are reviewing, so pleaasse do review, it'll make my day.**

**Chapter 5: 'Her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her.'**

Brennan was woken by the shrill ring of her alarm by her head. She reached over for the phone and turned it off, immediately swinging her legs around and pushing herself upright and off of the bed.

She pulled her baggy top over her head and dropped her sweatpants to her ankles before heading for the shower. Normally, she wore something a little sexier but her usuals had been in the wash and it was a little cold for the skimpy silk this time of year anyway.

Half an hour later, Brennan was sat on the edge of her bed again. She'd washed her hair and brushed her teeth, and let the wet mess drop to her shoulders. Drying quickly, she pulled a pair of grey trousers to her waist and shrugged into a bra and blue shirt. She grabbed a brush out of her bag and went to stand in front of the mirror, brushing the hair out, leaving it looking sleek. Brennan smoothed out her clothes, then glanced out the window to check on the weather. It looked cold so she buttoned a coat around her slight frame and slipped into some shoes, leaving the room at exactly 6.46.

No sign of Booth. She sighed, he wasn't usually late. Brennan walked a few feet along the corridor and knocked. Her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her; a slightly tired looking Seeley Booth clad in a pair of sweatpants that sat dangerously low on his hip, revealing a fraction of the Calvin Klein band of his boxers (Brennan wouldn't have recognised them had it not been for the recent advertising campaign; a massive billboard outside her apartment had been invaded by pictures of half naked men and women wearing the now familiar brand). He was completely naked from the waist up and Brennan couldn't help but allow her eyes to linger on the toned, tanned expanse of skin. She took a second to marvel at the fine anatomical specimen.

She snapped out of it as_ he _seemed to wake himself up a little. "What time is it?"

Brennan looked at him with a hint of a frown, "Just gone 6.45."

His eyes widened and Brennan smiled a little at the confusion on his face. "Ahh, shit. Sorry Bones, my alarm didn't go off. Phone must have died." He left the door open and ran inside. Unsure of what he was expecting her to do, Brennan took a step into the room and shut the door behind her. By the time she'd turned back around and walked past the bathroom, Booth had pulled a pair of jeans on, now hurriedly doing up the button and zipper.

Her amused smile grew into a fond one as he fastened the familiar _Cocky _belt buckle. She really had grown to love that thing, it was so…_Boothy. _

The subject of her interest looked up at her, poised to pull a t-shirt over his head, apparently too rushed to be feeling shy about his state of undress. He'd started to walk towards her, heading for the bathroom, "Two minutes. Just need to brush my teeth." Two of his fingers unclenched from the material to aid his words.

He emerged a minute and a half later, finding Brennan leaning against the wall. Had it not been for the semi-naked, confused, and frankly, even more endearing than usual Booth that had met her, Brennan would probably have been much more impatient, but his demeanour and appearance had distracted her.

He quickly snatched up the black FBI jacket and put his hands on her shoulders to turn her and steer her out. "Ready." He announced as they left.

"Are we not stopping for Special Agent Trickett?" Brennan asked as they passed his room. It wasn't that she wanted to but she'd been under the impression they would be working with him.

He looked at her with an inexplicable smile. He'd been taking in _her _appearance for the first time this morning. She looked nice, he liked it when she wore blue, it brought out her eyes. "No. We just had to get him here, hopefully he'll leave us alone now. Besides, we're not the only unit down here, there's a bunch of agents in the area so he'll probably partner up with someone who likes him." Brennan couldn't help but return his smile as he lifted an arm around her head to push the door open for them both.

They walked side by side into the near empty room and took a place at the bar, quickly ordering breakfast and chatting comfortably until it arrived.

They had just finished eating when the noise came from behind them. They both got up - Booth taking his jacket off the back of his chair - and turned to find the source. Booth rolled his eyes and sighed when he caught sight of Trickett and another guy he recognised as Special Agent Fryer pushing the doors open wide, laughing loudly. He put a hand on Brennan's arm, "C'mon, let's go."

Brennan nodded and began to follow him. She noticed Trickett point a finger at them as they left but ignored it, she was pretty sure she'd seen him off last night.

**A/N: For those who have commented on the length, this is the last of the very short chapters. From now on, they'll pretty much all be AT LEAST 1000 words, and then next chappie is one of my faves **

**Thanks to those who DID review, nice to hear what everyone is thinking and get some feedback.**


	6. I much prefer the man himself

**Chapter 6: 'Personally, I much prefer the man himself.'**

It hadn't taken them long to eat and the drive wasn't far, so by the time they arrived at the scene it was still only half seven and eerily quiet. The place was deserted apart from a couple of local cops and the guards. The body had been found by a guy with a metal detector by the side of the Allegheny River.

Booth led Brennan towards the white tent erected over the body and as they approached, Booth saw that not _all_ of the faces were unfamiliar; Andrew Hacker stood talking to a cop. He turned as he heard the footsteps and extended a friendly hand to Booth, "Booth. How was the trip?" He didn't wait for a response, instead interpreting Booth's calm face as his answer. "Dr. Brennan." He acknowledged her with a tip of the head and the anthropologist smiled back. She had always quite liked Booth's boss. But then, Booth _had _mentioned that Hacker was much nicer to the pair than he was to most; they seemed to get special treatment.

"Sir. Mind if we take a look at the body?"

He gestured with his hands. "Go ahead, go ahead. We should have Trickett and Fryer down here any minute. Seeing as the ID wasn't too difficult I've sent the other boys home. I don't want too many of you crowding out the site." Booth nodded and put a hand on Brennan, gently pushing her forwards. She reached into her pocket for a glove and lowered herself, bending her knees to crouch next to the bones. Booth followed suit. Gently, she unfolded and examined the sheet that the body was buried in, then turned her attentions to what was left of the remains.

Hacker watched the curious pair as they worked. He'd always enjoyed the interactions and the conversation, they were certainly interesting and Hacker couldn't help but think that allowing them to be partners and work together on a permanent basis had been the finest decision he'd made in his time at the Bureau. Hell, Booth was the only person in the whole of the FBI that she seemed to get along with, and it just so happened that he was the best field agent they had. They seemed very close (strange, because most partnerships as close as theirs were made between same sex partnerships, he'd never seen a man and a woman get on so well), though Hacker liked to think that Brennan didn't feel inconvenienced when she was forced to speak with himself. He listened intently as Dr. Brennan said a couple of indecipherable sentences, riddled with anthropological and scientific jargon. Booth looked up from the watch he had been inspecting, "Bones? English please."

He suppressed a laugh as he was reminded of the name Booth had given her. He'd heard it before but it never ceased to amaze him to hear what should be a derogatory term for a woman, be so easily turned into an affectionate nickname. Brennan seemed to smile back at him slightly, "The injuries sustained are congruent with a fatal bullet to the head. No evidence of any throat injury."

Booth nodded. "Okay. So, the _accomplice, _James Whitton, was wrong about the cause of death…suggesting he was the killer?" He used a questioning tone, willingly relying on Brennan's expertise and opinion. _People_ were Booth's thing, not bodies, and he wouldn't know anything concrete until they'd started interviewing witnesses.

"Uhh, Booth, I don't like that conclusion."

Booth sighed, "Why?"

She looked up from the decomposed body she was inspecting, "Because there are multiple other possible scenarios." Booth widened his eyes at her inquisitively, "Well, maybe it was someone else altogether, or maybe this isn't Freddy Steel…" Booth rolled his eyes again, this time at the scepticism she held against the FBI forensics team. Their ID hadn't been a definitive one anyway, they didn't have enough to go on. "Or, Seddon could have killed the man and buried him with Whitton, then reburied him later. I think the last one is probably most likely"

Booth rubbed his head in defeat. He stood up and turned when he heard the same voices as earlier. Hacker greeted Trickett and Fryer quickly and turned back to the body. Brennan looked back up at the Assistant Deputy Director, "Sir, I'm going to need to ship the body back to the Jeffersonian." Hacker nodded, though Booth noticed the surprise on the other two men's faces. Obviously, they weren't fully aware of how valuable Brennan and her team were; they hadn't been prepared for Hacker to grant her request so easily. She turned back to the body and pointed to the rib cage and hands, "There's no evidence of a struggle here. Bullet to the posterior oppitical suggests this was a clean kill, an unchallenged assassination. All of the victim's teeth have been removed, eliminating the possibility of identifying from dental records." She looked up, "Whoever did this knew what they were doing."

Booth sighed, he needed for her to be convinced that this was Freddy Steel before they could go any further. "Okay, so can we confirm that the body is Steel?" Trickett and Fryer shot each other a look of confusion but Hacker waved them quiet. They were under the impression that the FBI had already positively identified the body as Steel from the watch that had set off the metal detector; Hacker just wanted to see Brennan's talent at work.

All four men watched as she poked around for another minute, "Pubic bone suggests male. Between the age of…twenty four and forty." She examined his hands, "Healed fractures and heavy wear of the phalanges suggest he probably worked in construction or other manual labour. Watch has an engraving with Steel's name. Could be stolen but indentations on the strap show the buckle was fastened at the same length that it was since its purchase. Significant bodily indicators include…" she stayed quiet for a few seconds, "fracture of the left tibia, looks…quite recent. Judging by the state of repair I'd say probably less than two years before death. Hodgins should be able to tell us if this was the only place he was buried from particulates." She looked back up at Booth who was flicking to another page of the notebook he'd been writing in. "Does that match with Steel's profile?" She noticed the looks on the faces of the two other agents behind him.

"Steel was thirty two when he died. Hospital has records of treating him for a broken leg in…two thousand and one, a year before his death. And he was a site manager for a local construction firm."

Brennan nodded and pursed her lips, "I'm relatively certain that this is the body of Steel." Trickett and Fryer may have mocked her for even bothering to check had they not been so impressed that the anthropologist was able to get so much in such a short space of time from a pile of bones.

Hacker nodded and turned to leave with a parting comment, "Get the bones to the Jeffersonian. Trickett and Fryer, help Booth and Dr. Brennan with whatever they need." They scowled at each other but spoke a polite acknowledgment of their boss's request, who had now paused to talk with another guard.

Booth watched as a grin appeared on Trickett's face and took a deep breath. He recognised the look and realised that the return to his comfort zone with the arrival of another agent, had encouraged him to take another crack at his partner. He smiled a little in anticipation but it quickly disappeared when he heard the words, "So, Dr. Brennan. The agent in your book, Andy Lister, were you thinking of anyone in particular or does the description apply to any FBI agent?" Trickett looked to Fryer as if to gain his approval and Booth suspected he was trying to impress.

Brennan glanced at Booth who was about to offer an excuse to leave but she spoke quicker. She hadn't ever really planned on revealing who the character was based on, but everyone at the lab knew anyway, and Trickett was really starting to get on her nerves. She had been sure that the blow to the ribs would be enough to put him off, apparently not. She stayed straight-faced, "Actually, Andy was based on Booth." She got up off the ground and pulled off her examination gloves. Despite his prior knowledge, Booth couldn't help but smile at the admittance; she'd been denying it since the first book had been published.

It was Fryer who protested Brennan's statement, "I thought Lister was – and I quote – intelligent, insightful, and devilishly handsome. That doesn't sound like Booth." Fryer and Trickett laughed hysterically, Brennan felt her blood boil a little. Much as she enjoyed mocking Booth for his method of working, she had steadily grown to understand that he, in his own way, was just as intelligent as herself. And so now, she readily jumped to his defence if anyone but she and her team were to criticise him.

"You're right." She stole a glance at Booth whose smile seemed to disappear even more, "The book doesn't really do him justice. Personally, I much prefer the man himself. He's more intelligent, he's more insightful…" she hesitated to tag this last one on the end but figured she may as well now she'd come this far, "And his face shows a greater symmetry than I imagined for Lister, so scientifically,he's more attractive." Even she knew that attractiveness was subjective, but she didn't want to be so bold as to admit that she had always found Booth attractive.

Booth leant over so that his mouth was just millimetres from her ear, "I knew it." She didn't have to look at him to know that the smile had reappeared.

**A/N: I hope this satisfies those of you asking for longer chapters. It's my birthday today so pleaasee review. Now that the story is starting to take shape, I'd love to hear what everyone thinks. **


	7. The conversation was awkward

**Chapter 7: 'The conversation was awkward enough as it was.'**

That conversation between the two sets of partners had ended rather uncomfortably. Eventually, Booth – with a slightly smug smile still fixed upon his face – had told Trickett and Fryer to go and get the body shipped and follow up the details on the watch. What good the second request would do, Booth had no idea, but he was glad to get rid of them for the rest of the day.

They were now headed to speak to the witness, James Whitton. "Hey, Bones. Umm, thanks."

"For what?" It was times like these that Booth wished she was just a little more talented with her social perception. The conversation was awkward enough as it was, but he wanted to thank her.

"Y'know. For…sticking up for me." It sounded sappy but he couldn't think of another way to put it. She didn't seem bothered.

She shrugged her shoulders, "You'd have done the same for me." She quickly realised that she was perhaps revealing too much in regard to her emotions towards Booth, "And I only said it to shut them up anyway, so don't get all cocky and revert back to your alpha male tendencies." He smiled knowingly, Booth usually had more trouble reading her than others, but today she was an open book. Nevertheless, she was right, he would…he _had. _

"Yeah. Anyway, I got an address for Whitton. He's jobless so we should find him easy enough." They were pulling into the parking lot for the block of flats, "Bones. This guy could still be our murderer so if he doesn't answer, gun first, yeah?"

He stopped the engine and turned to face her, hand on the lever of the door. She nodded at him, "Gun first." They swiftly climbed the flight of stairs to the first floor and waited for a response to their knock.

The man that opened was in his late thirties, handsome. Tall but strangely, not threatening. In fact, if she hadn't known better, Brennan wouldn't have him pegged as a criminal. Booth had run a quick background check the afternoon they'd flown out. The man had record for petty theft and a minor assault charge but other than that he'd come up clean. He looked different to the mugshot though. Booth was too experienced to '_judge a book by it's cover'_ but since the photo was taken, he'd grown some hair, shaved and cleaned himself up. He wore a half smile and Booth began his enquiries, "Hi. James Whitton?"

"Yeah that's me." His eyes were questioning.

"Hi." Booth reached for his badge. "I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth. This here is Dr. Temperance Brennan. We'd like to ask you a few questions regarding the murder of Freddy Steel."

The smile fled from his face immediately but he still looked calm. Brennan spoke, "May we come in?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah. Of course." He moved out of the way of the door to let them pass.

Five minutes later the friendly introductions were over and Booth sat next to Brennan in the man's living room, mug of coffee in hand. "So, Mr. Whitton-"

"Please, call me James." His smile was not returned by Booth. He was reluctant to appear too nice, careful not to make him think he could lie to them.

"James. The body of Freddy Steel was found yesterday morning. We've been looking over the evidence given in ninety-five, and things aren't adding up. You see," he flicked open his notebook. "In the initial trial, Luke Seddon was convicted due to the evidence you gave as a witness to the murder and burial, in absence of the body, and as an accomplice of Mr. Seddon. You stated to the jury that Mr Steel was killed by a slit to the throat…that he bled to death. And you also gave a specific burial site, a cemetery, Ridgelawn?" Booth looked up and the man shook his head in agreement.

"Right. Well the body has now been found. It was discovered by the river just a mile from here, and cause of death was a gunshot to the back of the head."

Booth had a knack for reading people, and he saw two emotions on the face of James Whitton. The first, was nervousness, something that Booth had been fully expecting, and something which was present on the face of almost every person he spoke to as an agent. The second, however, was genuine confusion. He waited impatiently for an explanation. Almost a minute later, Booth cleared his throat prompting the man to pull his head from his hands and return his gaze to the FBI agent.

"I lied. Eight years ago I lied." Booth wasn't surprised, neither was Brennan. She rarely met a man involved with a crime who _hadn't_ lied to the police. "All of my first statement was true. You guys call it the motive. Seddon hated Freddy. He'd been stealing money from their company. Skimming some off the top of different accounts every month. But then Seddon hired a financial advisor, brought him to work, asked him to take a look at all their accounts, make sure things were in order. When he found out what Freddy had been doing, Seddon paid the accountant off so he could deal with it himself. He was furious. He contacted me. God only knows why; I'd never helped with anything like that before, I don't hurt people." Booth took another moment to examine the sincerity. The guy _looked_ like he was telling the truth…that or he was a _very _good liar.

"Anyway, he offered me a shitload of money, and I needed it. He told me he would need help burying the body. I said I could help him out but that I wouldn't hurt anyone. So he called me up that night, and picked me up in his car. The body was in the boot and we drove to the cemetery. He said something about how they would never find the body 'cause there were too many. I couldn't show the police to the spot because it had been too dark to see anything. I asked him how the guy had died and Seddon said he'd slit his throat. I didn't ask anymore of it, didn't wanna know."

"When we arrived, we buried him. He paid me in cash and said he didn't ever wanna hear from me again."

"Surely you must have noticed that there was no blood? He should have had blood all down the front of his neck?" Brennan spoke this time and Booth nodded.

The guy was looking a little more agitated, his nervousness growing. "I wasn't really looking. Look, I'm really sorry. It's just, he didn't look like he was joking around. I wanted to make sure he went away. I guess, I didn't really think he would be convicted on my testimony alone anyway."

Booth shook his head, "Okay. Whatever, what we need to know, is…are you absolutely sure that he was dead when you first saw him, and that the original address you gave for the burial was correct? Because if we find out you're lying, prosecution could change their mind and charge you."

"Positive. It's the only cemetery for miles. And I'm not lying."

"Were you ever aware that Seddon planned to move the body?"

"No."

"Do you know the names of_ anyone _else who had regular contact with Seddon?"

"No."

Booth was still a little suspicious. The guy didn't _appear _to be lying…but things still weren't adding up. "Okay. Look, stay close alright. Don't get into any trouble, don't go anywhere…just stay put."

The man nodded and Brennan and Booth made their exit.

"Do you think he's lying?" They were sat in the SUV when Brennan spoke again. Booth turned to look into her eyes.

He shook his head, "Nah, I don't think so. But that doesn't explain…When will the squint squad get their hands on the body? We could really use Hodgins for this one."

"They should get it by tonight. They've had today off so they'll probably stay half the night."

Booth nodded and started the engine. Next stop was a prison visit to Luke Seddon.

**A/N: At this point I just wanna quickly remind you to check out the castings via the link on my profile now that we have a new character.**

**Also, sorry for breaking my pattern of a chapter every two days, I've been ill but I dragged myself out of bed today to post I'll keep with the original schedule though and upload the next one tomorrow.**

**Please let me know what you think so far… x**


	8. From an anthropological point of view

**Chapter 8: "From an anthropological point of view, of course."**

The drive to the prison was much longer, taking them a good couple of hours. Booth hoped Brennan's good mood would last for the duration; it wasn't rare for her to leave an interrogation riled, and it often continued for hours. He looked over at her but her expression gave nothing away.

"So, Bones… How 'bout some music?" Her head snapped around. He knew that look; she'd been concentrating on the case.

She broke into a smile and Booth let out a small sigh of relief. "Sure. What'cha got?"

She pressed play on the sound system and waited for the music to fill the car. The display said it was the sixth track on the CD and it didn't take her long to recognise the tune – also the title track of the album - _Double Vision; _a_ Foreigner _album_._ A wide smile graced her face and she looked over to Booth, who was now driving them along a quiet road. He returned the expression, accompanied by a laugh, "I'd forgotten I had this in here. It's been ages since we've had the stereo on."

She couldn't help but return the laugh as she lay back and relaxed into her seat. She tapped her feet as she watched Booth, _his_ fingers hitting the steering wheel in time to the music. She remembered how Booth had once told her to forget about the cultural and social significance of the music, and to just let herself feel and enjoy it; so she did.

BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES

The journey after that, passed with ease. They were more than comfortable in each other's company and they exchanged a mixture of casual conversation and playful banter. There wasn't a single serious topic they broached until the radio automatically interrupted their third loop of the CD with a news and weather update.

Booth groaned as he listened to the monotonous voice, '_The National Weather Association has this morning issued a weather warning for Akron, Pittsburgh, Illinois, and surrounding areas, with expectation of hazardous conditions. Heavy snow has been forecasted for tonight, with people being advised not to leave their homes until further instructions have been given._

"Ugh. You have _got _to be kidding me. We can't stay out here all week." Much as Booth was enjoying the time away, Rebecca was going to be dropping Parker off for the weekend and he didn't want to let him down.

"Relax, Booth. They're being cautious. We probably won't even get any snow."

"I dunno Bones. It _has_ been freezing."

"Well, we'll worry when it becomes an issue. It's not logical for us to stress until it _becomes _a problem." She was right of course, but it was still unusual to hear her be so relaxed about a frustrating situation.

Booth nodded, it was times like these that he was grateful for the uber-rational part of her brain; he wasn't so fond when she used it to try and explain human behaviour, _especially _when she had a crack at enlightening him of the true anthropological mechanisms and biological needs behind sex. "Yeah. You're right." If the snow _was_ going to come, nothing he could do would stop it.

The man on the radio had finished with the weather and so the stereo switched back to the CD. His mood immediately lightened when the sound of the opening track on the album filled the warm car. The stereo had just started it's fourth play, starting with _their _song; _Hot Blooded. _

BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES

It was only another five minutes before they pulled up outside the prison, and Brennan gave an extreme involuntary shiver as the cold wind hit her in the face. The hotel they had stayed in hadn't been all that warm, and as a result she'd barely noticed the cold when they'd left. But after being sat in a cosied car for the past couple of hours, the breeze felt sub-zero. Booth had already joined her at her side, and he noticed the movement.

"Told you it's been cold." She scowled at him. "C'mere. I've got a couple of spare jackets in the trunk." They were going inside in just a couple of minutes and he might not have bothered had the building been anything but a prison. Besides, it wasn't going to be getting any warmer.

He flicked the car open and pulled the lid, searching for the smallest item he could find amongst all of the FBI standard issue gear. He lifted a black fleece, as well as jacket identical to the one he'd put on this morning, only a size smaller - both with his name on them - and handed them to her. Both were a snug fit on him. He didn't think that anything he had would go with the feminine fitted black coat she wore. "Here, take your coat off and put these on instead."

She smiled at him and did as he said, first stripping to the blue blouse she'd picked out this morning, then pulling the fleece over her head and surrounding herself in the jacket. She smiled. They fitted okay. A bit baggy, but easily made up for by the _Boothy _smell that they held. "Thanks."

Booth smiled back and turned back to the trunk. He already had the FBI jacket he'd put on this morning but he could do with an extra layer. He quickly shrugged out of it and pulled on an extra fleece – also the same as Brennan's. Silently, he thanked the FBI for handing out doubles of all clothing. Brennan, on the other hand, was busy thanking the cold weather for giving her a glance at the toned arms of Seeley Booth. She occasionally stopped to admire his musculature – from an anthropological point of view, of course - but it had been way too long. "Right," Booth slammed the lid shut, "let's go."

**A/N: The eighth chapter as promised. I couldn't help but notice we didn't have many reviews for the last one, so go ahead ad press the little button…you know you want to **

**The next chapter is short so for the next instalment in two days, I'll be uploading two chapters. See ya then :D **


	9. Invading Booth's personal space

**Chapter 9: 'Invading Booth's personal space as only Brennan would.'**

Booth flashed his badge to the officer asking for confirmation of ID, then put a hand on the top of Brennan's back to guide her in the right direction. They were following a man in uniform a few feet ahead, being taken to the cell allocated for speaking with the police or attorneys. The man they were greeted by looked far more menacing than Whitton.

Luke Seddon sat in a chair at the table in the middle of the room. He leant back with an arrogance that only someone like him would, though at first glance, his face wasn't particularly threatening. He looked like a man, who, if the situation called for it, could smarten himself up enough to blend in as a businessman, and probably a successful one at that. The smile increased the scare-factor, adding a sly and intimidating look to his face, though also a dangerous charm. He looked around fifty, six foot, Caucasian, and his eyes were hollow. His hands were in front of him on the tabletop, clenched together…he didn't look like he approved of the restraints that bound him.

Booth spoke with a politeness, whilst waiting for an excuse not to be so civil to the man, "Mr. Seddon. I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth from the FBI, this here is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

The man smiled back at them with a dry laugh, "Oh I see. The FBI can no longer afford gear for the new recruits, you get the hand-me-downs." His eyes flickered to Booth's name printed on Brennan's jacket, then to the same print on his own.

That was all the excuse Booth needed. He vowed not to be so civil to the man from here on in. "Look, Seddon." He moved closer, touching a hand to the desk. "We need to talk to you about Freddy Steel. The guy you murdered eight years ago. You remember him, right?"

Seddon smiled, he was revelling in the attention. "I never killed 'im. That bastard lied." Booth pulled both of the seats opposite the thug out, and gestured Brennan to take the one next to him. She did. He stared at Seddon for a moment longer, trying to determine whether or not to believe him. He didn't.

"Where were you on the twenty-seventh of October two thousand and two?"

"Agent Booth," there was a mocking politeness to his tone, "It's been eight years. How would I possibly…?"

"Let me refresh your memory. Your statement said you'd been visiting your parents."

He shrugged, "Probably."

"Yeah. Okay, if you say so. But I'll warn you now that the team at the Jeffersonian are extremely good at what they do. If you killed Freddy Steel, we'll find proof."

Booth looked over to Brennan again and stood up. Brennan grabbed his arm to stop him and whispered in his ear, "What, that's it?"

His voice was a loud whisper, despite knowing that Seddon would hear every word in the quiet room, "He's not gonna give us anything else. We'll wait to see what the others have to say then pay Mr. Seddon another visit." He glared over his shoulder at the man.

Brennan didn't look satisfied, but she followed him out of the room, shoving her hands in the deep pockets of the jacket as they walked down the empty hall and out of the building.

"Booth, we've got nothing!"

"Yeah Bones, I know that." He paused in the middle of the lot and turned to his partner, hands on hips, "Look, call Cam. Tell her that our first priority is to find out where the body was in the hours before he was buried. If we're gonna solve this it's gonna be by proving Seddon's lying; otherwise, he'll just stick to his story. If we can get Whitton to testify, then we shouldn't need _much_ more than that. But Whitton's lied before so we need something good. The only other lead we have, is that there's a four mile drive between the burial site mentioned in Whitton's testimony, and the place he was found. I'd say our best bet is to try and track down the car registered to Seddon at the time, see if Hodgins can do his thing and give us some answers."

Brennan frowned and leaned forward a little, invading Booth's personal space as only Brennan would. "What about the murder weapon?"

Booth leaned back, restoring the space between them. The last thing he needed was to be distracted by her too-close face. "We'll worry about that later. Seddon's too smart to have kept the gun, and I can guarantee that we'll never find it."

She nodded and moved away, a little more satisfied. She had to hand it to him, he sometimes possessed a logic greater than most people she knew.

"I'm hungry." Booth smiled, she must be for it to have distracted her from the case.

"Me too. Let's go find some place to eat."


	10. She looked down at his lips

**Chapter 10: 'She looked down at his lips for a fraction of a second.'**

Booth hung up the phone just as their meals were being brought to the table. They'd stopped at a nice-looking Chinese restaurant in the first ten minutes of the journey back to Boston. It was no Wong Foo's, but it would do.

Booth had been on and off his cell since leaving the prison, trying to find out about any cars Seddon had owned in the last twenty years. Someone at the FBI had gone through the original case file with a fine toothcomb, and it had paid off. "Right, okay. We've got something. Seddon hasn't had a car registered to him for twenty-five years. But during the original investigation, Seddon's girlfriend at the time," he leaned forward as he often did, "_she_ said that Seddon used to borrow _her _car, and that he sold it just a couple of days after Steel went missing." Brennan's eyebrows raised. "The original team couldn't trace it but we have. It turned up in D.C., about twenty miles from the lab. They're taking it over now." Brennan smiled, finally something for them to go on.

"Why are we still here? Wouldn't we be able to do more at home?"

Booth nodded and looked up from his food, "Probably. But Cullen won't let us leave yet. We need to be here to interview Seddon once we have more."

The rest of their meal passed with light conversation. When they'd finished they resumed their long journey back to Pittsburgh. When Brennan asked why Seddon was being kept so far away, he said something about him having a lot of enemies and needing higher security. Apparently, he was highly intelligent, that didn't surprise her. She nodded and they continued with the music. By the time they stopped the car, the CD had been worn to death.

**BONES-BONES-BONES-BONES-BONES**

"I've got my iPod inside, I'll bring it next time. We can't listen to that for another two hours." He pointed at the CD player.

She smiled and nodded, stepping out of the SUV and into the cold air. On the drive back, snow had started to fall. Not much, just a light dusting of the trees, but it was enough that Booth could see they weren't going to get back for a couple of days at least. The clouds looked thick, and the air felt heavy. Booth glanced at the clock on the dashboard as he exited the vehicle, it was three o'clock but until they got a call from the Jeffersonian they didn't have much to do.

Booth's cell started to ring just seconds later, and he answered hopefully as Brennan came around to join him. He hung up after a minute, keeping the conversation with Trickett as brief as possible.

"That was Trickett. The body should be at the Jeffersonian by eight this evening. All they got from the watch is that it hasn't been reported stolen or missing."

"What that's it? All morning and that's all they've got?"

Booth nodded, "Don't worry about it Bones. Me, you and the squints, _we'll _solve this case. We don't need help from those two clowns, and we _definitely _don't need their company." Booth had unconsciously leaned forwards, their heads inching closer together.

Brennan smirked, that was true. She looked down at his lips for a fraction of a second and their eye contact lingered for a moment too long before Booth moved away, shifting his arm to rest one hand on Brennan's far shoulder, "Come on Bones. Let's go for coffee."

**A/N: Please review…haven't had many of late and it's making me sad Even if it's just a word to let me know that you're still reading. **

**See ya in a couple of days for the next instalment **


	11. She looked beautiful in the snow

**Chapter 11: 'She looked beautiful in the snow.'**

Reluctant to venture far, partially because they needed to be on call and partly because the temperature was rapidly plummeting, they sat in the hotel café. Booth had told Trickett and Fryer to take the rest of the day off and he hoped they would stay away, if nothing else then out of fear of Brennan. He smiled slightly at that thought.

"What?" Booth looked up from his coffee to meet Brennan's quizzical gaze. "What's so funny?"

He straightened his face, "What? Oh, nothing." She eyed him suspiciously for a minute before apparently letting it slide.

"I wonder why people are naïve enough to believe that this coffee is Moroccan when the taste and colour clearly indicates it's a simple American filter." Her mouth upturned at the taste.

Booth looked at her with mock interest, wide-eyed and open mouthed, "I was _just _thinking that."

"Really?"

The look on her face was so cute he almost didn't bother but after an instant of hesitation, he sunk back into his seat and lost the exaggerated expression. "No."

She looked away, it wasn't the first time Booth had played that trick on her. They stayed quiet for a few seconds, Booth was about to break the silence when Brennan spoke, "You were right about the snow." She jerked her head towards the window; the snow was pouring down now. They'd been sat in the café for an hour, meanwhile nursing two coffees each, and almost two inches of the white powder had settled on top of their SUV which was just about still in sight. The visibility was terrible but the scene was a pleasant one.

Booth stood up and paused, "C'mon. Let's go." He smiled and strode out of the café, with Brennan just a few feet behind him.

He went straight to the SUV, opening the trunk and sitting on the edge, using it as a sheltered seat. Brennan joined him ten seconds later and they sat in silence for a short time. "I love that."

"What?" Brennan turned, looking confused.

He met her gaze and smiled softly. "That." He paused to demonstrate his point and Brennan's brow creased in confusion. "The quiet." It had been something he'd loved since he was a child. It had come from his grandfather. Pops, Jared, and Booth had spent hours in the snow together. Some of it was spent running around aimlessly chucking snowballs at each other, but a large portion of it was spent just sitting. The snow made everything quieter. All the animals had gone into hibernation or found a warmer place to hide, most people stayed inside to keep out of the cold so the streets were near empty, and barely anyone bothered to attempt to drive anywhere if it was bad, and even if they _did _chance it, the snow muffled the sound of the tyres enough that it didn't interrupt the tranquillity.

She looked beautiful in the snow. Booth held his hands together to restrain himself from reaching out and touching her. The cold made her skin look even fairer than usual, a slight red tinge coloured the end of her nose and ears, and small snowflakes had settled in her hair on the walk over. The low temperatures seemed to highlight the colour of her eyes and they now shone an even brighter shade of electric blue. She still wore his spare clothes, with her hands bundled up inside, but she looked effortlessly gorgeous.

They stared at each other for an extended period, with Brennan making similar observations to Booth. She noticed how the cold made his skin look soft, and that the hand he had run over his head as he'd sat down had melted the snow into his hair, leaving it damp. There was a faint shadow of stubble that had appeared over the course of the day. It was barely there but somehow managed to make him look sexier. She had always thought it a crime to let anything mask his defined jaw, but this moment made it infinitely harder to choose a preference.

It was Brennan who broke the moment. With another smile that Booth readily returned, she shifted a little closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. She waited as _he _inevitably shifted, unscrunching his hands so that he could curl his arm around her, holding her close to him.

Booth's phone rang a minute later, and Brennan sat up so that he could reach into his pocket, though his free hand didn't move from her. "Booth." Brennan stayed quiet for the duration, knowing better than to try and make sense of the one half of the conversation she could hear, but having a go all the same. She looked at her watch, half four.

Booth flipped the phone shut, "Okay. Hodgins and the others have taken a look at the car." He looked defiant, like they'd found what they were hoping for. "They'll need to wait for the body and take a look at the sheet before they can be certain that the fibres and stuff match up, but so far, here's what we've got. The trunk had sand from two beaches," he shrugged his shoulder and made a funny face. That part meant nothing, "There were traces of human detreetum-" He said the sentence with a confident tone despite having no idea of what he was talking about.

She interrupted, "Human detritus?"

"Human detritus, that's what I said. Anyway, mostly exfoliated skin and the parasites that feed on it. Hodgins also got some fibres that he said were cream, and similar to a bed sheet in material. He thinks it's probably a match for the sheet the body was wrapped in. He's also got a lot of dirt samples. He says that he found about nine different soils," he grinned and leaned in again, "one of which is predominantly found in the area surrounding the Allegheny River, and the other found in the cemetery."

Brennan let herself smile now, their case was coming together. "Okay. So, _if they match, _then we can confirm that Seddon had the shroud, the body, and the dirt from both burial sites in the back of his girlfriends car." Booth nodded. "Is that enough?"

His smiled faded a little, but the confidence remained, "Probably not, but if Whitton and the girlfriend are willing to testify, then we should get 'im."

"So what do we do tonight Booth?"

He shrugged, "We could go out to dinner?"

She nodded. Normally, she'd have protested, giving the excuse of work, but truthfully, she didn't have much to do. "Okay." She looked around them, "But we shouldn't go too far." The snow was piling up by the minute now.

He pursed his lips for a few seconds, "How aboutttt" he drew out the word giving him some extra time to think, "how about we just do what we do back home. We'll go out, get some takeaway, have an early night?"

She smirked, "Sounds good."

They sat there for another half hour. Brennan leant into Booth again, and he let his head fall so that it rested on top of hers. They both noticed when Trickett and Fryer arrived back at the hotel. They both ignored them and managed to keep relatively warm, moving a little further into the SUV to avoid the breeze. Booth had been right about the FBI clothing, it _was _warm, and they were sharing body heat.

"We should go inside. Do you wanna shower before we head out to look for food?"

She straightened herself out, "Yes. Let's go."

**A/N: I have to admit, this chapter is my favourite so far. Thanks to all the ppl who reviewed the last chapter, there were a lot more of you which is great **

**Unless I significantly alter the length of the next chapter, the next update will be two chappies. See you in a couple of days!**

**Please review, I'd love to hear if you guys think they're staying in character (or not).**


	12. He knew he was pushing it

**Chapter 12: 'He knew he was pushing it.'**

Half an hour later – after washing her hair and shaving her legs – Brennan emerged from the shower. She took the time to dry her hair, though doing it was made almost unbearable by the crappy drier.

Bearing in mind that she was no longer on duty, Brennan dressed more casually; a pair of figure hugging jeans and a blue blouse similar to the one she'd worn earlier but with less frills. She opted for very little make up, applying just a natural gloss to her lips. Pulling the fleece over her head, she subconsciously smiled at the distinct scent, shoved some money in her pocket and folded the jacket over her arm, heading for the door.

Booth spent almost as long getting ready. He'd taken his time, not anticipating his wardrobe apprehension later on. He shaved and rubbed the excess water out of his hair, then turned to his pile of clothes. He opted for a pair of worn jeans and some black slip-on Vans. Twenty minutes later, he stood in front of the mirror, still sans shirt. In all honesty, he only had three to choose from, but somehow the decision was made infinitely harder by the fact that they were away from home. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel that something about the evening was slightly more romantic; though he was sure that Brennan wasn't feeling the same.

Just as he picked the black collared shirt off of the bed – having been complimented before that it was a good fit, hinting at his fine physique – there was a knock at the door. He pushed his arms through the sleeves as he walked towards it, and once again, Brennan was taken aback by the amount of flesh on show.

Now armed with the knowledge that the only way not to be distracted by his body was to look away, she forced her eyes away to her watch, giving him the time to get the first button done up; it was half past six. She couldn't help but watch him as he buttoned the rest of the shirt, leaving the top couple undone – and the beginning of his chest on display – and rolling his sleeves up to the elbow.

He had been looking down but as he reverted his gaze to her eyes, he noticed their focus. After taking a second to revel in _her _appearance – and appreciating it – he coughed and smiled as her eyes darted back up to meet his, pleased to see she seemed to notice his frequent visits to the gym.

"I'll just grab my jacket." He retreated back into the room and emerged wearing it, wallet in his back pocket.

They walked in relative silence until they got outside, happy just to be back in each others company. The snow was still falling, but it had subsided a little. They walked under shelter for as long as possible, then ventured out into the white road. He offered an arm with a raised eyebrow. He knew he was pushing it, "C'mon, it's freezing out here."

She didn't look particularly convinced but took it anyway; rationally, it was the right thing to do if she wanted to stay warm. They walked for about ten minutes – passing several restaurants that had closed due to the weather - making light conversation, joking about how the rest of the squints would be coping without them, until they approached a pizza place. Their preference was usually Chinese or Thai but they'd eaten Chinese for lunch and there wasn't anything else in sight. Booth released her arm and entered the small restaurant, holding the door open for Brennan as she followed.

After only a couple of minutes of deliberation, and fifteen minutes waiting on the cheap seats to the side, they paid for their pizza and made their way back to the hotel. They made only one brief stop, picking up a bottle of wine from the small selection on offer at the hotel on the way back to their rooms.


	13. She was left in darkness

**Chapter 13: 'She was left in darkness.'**

Booth's smile finally began to fade. They'd spent the last ten minutes talking about Parker; his school, soccer, and some of the strange eating habits he'd picked up. They sat in Booth's room, on the floor with their backs against the end of the bed, having finished eating well over half an hour ago. Neither had made any effort to move so far, still nursing the end of a glass of wine.

It was only half eight and they'd already agreed that they would drive back to the prison where Seddon was being held to question him again, optimistically hoping for a confession or, at the least, a slip up. They would be leaving at half five considering that the snow would extend their journey by at least an hour.

Brennan unfolded her legs and stood up, "I'm gonna go." She wanted to watch the news and do some reading before she went to bed. "I'll knock on your door at half five?"

Booth nodded, he would make sure to leave his phone on charge tonight. "Okay, see ya' tomorrow Bones." He paused for a second and she hesitated as their eyes remained locked in the moment. "Sleep well." He smiled, a little dreamily, and Brennan picked up the discarded jackets and turned to leave.

BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES

Brennan looked around, calm but curious. She'd been listening to a reporter talk about the Steel case when the TV had gone blank and she was left in darkness. She went over to the socket, turning the mains off and on once, then continued into the hall; no lights there either.

Booth was startled by the knock on the door. It was ten and he had got into bed, with little else to do. Weary, he trudged to the door. "Bones? What's wrong?" It was the only reason he could think of for her being here. They examined each other's appearances. Once again, Bones found herself confronted by a topless Booth, sweatpants low on the hip – if she wasn't careful, she would start wondering why he was wearing a shirt at work. _He_ was presented with sweats and a too-big-tee. Both were sights they thought they could easily get used to.

"Do you have power?" He stared at her for a couple of seconds before catching up.

A hand moved to the light switch by the door, flicking it a few times, as if he thought that maybe he could generate enough energy to power the light just my flicking the switch. After five, he gave up. "Nope, apparently not, you wanna come in? You'll freeze alone, the heaters are all electric." He could see she was already a little cold.

Brennan gave him a disapproving look, she could look after herself, "No, don't worry about it. I'll see you in the morning."

She turned to walk away but Booth's arm shot out, pulling her back towards him and into the room. He knew her well, well enough to know that the only reason she'd said no was because of her reluctance to be _dependent_. "Well then come in for my sake? Pretty please?" He flashed his charm smile and she cooperated, apparently happy (or naïve) to believe that Booth needed her.

He turned around in the small passage expecting only to check that she had actually followed him in. Instead, he was met by Brennan's face, mere inches from his own. His face jolted back for a split second before returning to where it had been, startled by the proximity. He could barely see her in the light, just enough to make out her silhouette and the glint of her eyes. She hadn't meant to be so close, just following him in, but she'd taken another step after Booth had halted, bringing her close.

He paused, unable to move. It wasn't the first time their closeness caught him off-guard. In fact, the _very _first time he'd been confronted with an alarmingly close Brennan had been on their second case together. He'd found himself unintentionally pinning her against the wall, and she'd been the one to move away…but this time she didn't.

He leaned forwards slowly, closing the gap and giving her every opportunity to pull away, though simultaneously willing her not to. When their lips were millimetres apart, he stopped, staying silent so that the only sound was that of their breathing. He waited patiently, his lips slightly parted in anticipation; he wanted her to make the final move, so that she couldn't use it against him later, or deny that it had been what she had wanted. He waited for a long second, and then just when he thought she wouldn't, her face moved closer. Their lips met lightly, timidly. They parted under each other and though the kiss was slow and delicate, it managed to convey the accumulation of feelings from the past five years with a meaningful passion. It was the inevitable moment they'd both been waiting for.

Booth's eyes blinked open as the light turned on, and he stared into her eyes for a few seconds. The electricity was back and in his furious flicking of the switch, he'd left it on. Brennan smirked and reached behind her to flick it one more time. Booth grinned back at her. Surprised she wasn't trying to fight him off, he returned his lips to hers the second the room was dark. His hand reached under her shirt, and rested on the smooth skin of her lower back, but he moved no further. Eventually, they broke apart, still wrapped in each others' arms.

Booth spoke first, his voice weak, "Bed." Though the word could have been suggestive, Brennan knew what he meant. She knew the man too well to think that he was going to have sex with her, at least not tonight. Had he been suggesting that, she would have obliged, but this thing had been building between them too long for Booth to risk ruining it by being hasty. He took his hand from under her shirt, and pulled her alongside him to the bed, hesitating only to pull a vest over his head. The electricity was back on, so of course there was no reason for them to still be in the same room, other than that Booth wanted her there, and to her surprise, Brennan _wanted _to be there.

He lay down and pulled her so that she lay next to him. He shifted slightly and she settled in his arm, slipping her hand up his vest to rest on his torso so she could feel the warmth and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. He wrapped the covers around them, enjoying the soft touch of her hand on his skin. "Night Bones."

"Goodnight Booth."

**A/N: PLEASE could someone tell to what extent they're in character in this scene. I'm not sure and if anyone has any bits that they think could be improved, I would LOVE to hear from you. Next chapter will be up in a couple of days :D**

**P.S. Please review **


	14. That's a start

**Chapter 14: 'That's a start.'**

**A/N: This is a long one Enjoy. **

Booth jumped a little, the sound of the alarm on the bedside table jolting him out of his dreams. It took him a second to realise why he couldn't move his right arm. He could feel the warmth of a body pressed up against him and he smiled, remembering last night. Her body still pinned his arm to the bed so he raised his _free_ arm to lift the phone and turn the alarm off quickly, and waited whilst Brennan stirred. "We need to get up," Booth announced. Brennan was out of bed immediately, she seemingly didn't suffer from exhaustion early in the morning.

"I'm gonna have a quick shower." Brennan nodded and once he had disappeared, took a key and went next door to change. She wore the same clothes as yesterday but opted for a deep blue shirt, only now realising that blue was the only colour she seemed to have packed. She was back by the time he emerged, water still dripping off his hair and down his face. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, unsure of what was happening. It was almost as if _nothing_ had happened, in fact, if it wasn't for his half naked form, no one would be any the wiser. Neither mentioned it, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, an awkward silence fell between them; both concluding they could talk about it later. Brennan watched his back as he got dressed. She gave herself the familiar excuse of being an anthropologist as she allowed herself to watch the movement of his muscles, rippling underneath his – despite the bad weather and lack of sunshine – lightly tanned skin. He turned around.

"Ready?" She asked, the first to say anything in two minutes.

"Yep." He led them both out of the room, slowing his pace as they reached the door.

"Actually, no." He'd realised he didn't _want _to talk later, he needed to know where he stood. He turned and without hesitation, wrapped the arm that held his jacket around her waist. The other moved up to her face, his thumb rubbed lightly along her cheek bone and jaw. She responded immediately. The kiss was still slow, but a little more passionate than the last. As they moved apart, a smiled graced both of their faces.

He nodded, raising his chin and looking down at her - more than satisfied with the answer he'd been given - and removed his arms from around her. He held onto one of her hands and grinned before turning his back to her and opening the door. "Ready."

As they walked down the hall, Brennan looked around a little nervously. "Booth," she tried to pull her hand from his but he held on tight, "What if someone sees us?"

He looked down at her, "Bones," he sounded relaxed, "It's five-thirty in the morning. Who's gonna see us?" His tone challenged her and she opened her mouth before closing it and giving his hand a squeeze.

"Thank you." He thanked her for putting her independent tendencies to one side and letting him hold onto her.

The snow outside was bad and Brennan silently thanked whatever had convinced her to wear her only pair of boots on the trip. She smiled as she noticed that Booth hadn't bothered with the formal wear today; instead dressed in jeans, a tee, the FBI gear and a pair of boots. There was about three inches of snow covering the ground, though it had stopped falling, leaving it silent outside. It was still dark out, but the streetlamps illuminating the road showed that people had been prepared for this. There was a mess of orange road salt all over the tarmac, keeping the road from freezing over.

They each struggled with their doors for a moment before prising them open. Booth turned the engine on immediately, turning the heater up and pulling his iPod out of his pocket. He ejected the Foreigner album and pressed shuffle. The first track that came out was a Beatles song, he looked over to Brennan and smiled, even _she _knew the Beatles.

**BONES-BONES-BONES-BONES-BONES**

After ten minutes on the road, Booth's phone rang. "Booth." Brennan watched the passing roads as he talked, hanging up five minutes later.

"That was Hodgins."

"They didn't stay up all night?" She sounded shocked though she had no reason to.

He nodded with a smile, funny that she would object when she did the same thing almost every night. "Don't worry, I told them all to go home. Anyway, Hodgins, Zack and Cam took a look at the body and sheet, Ange did a reconstruction. It's definitely our man. Cam has a bullet, she said she'd match it but I told her not to bother. It won't help us. Hodgins said that the material from the sheet is a match for the stuff in the car. And both dirts from the two burial sites were also found, on the sheet _and_ the body. _And _he took a sample of the material lining the trunk of the girlfriend's car, it matches some of the fibres on the sheet. We've got him." They both grinned. The trip was almost unnecessary now but neither protested. Firstly, Booth wanted to watch Seddon squirm. Secondly, it was a sure way to spend the day alone.

They spent an hour in silence. It wasn't awkward, but Booth had his eyes fixed on the icy roads, and Brennan was worrying. She thought about their new_ relationship_ together – though she still wasn't entirely sure that that was what it was - and then about the things she'd heard. It was uncommon for relationships in the workplace to work. She started timidly, "Booth?"

"Yeah?" He hadn't noticed the worry in her voice so his eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead, until he realised she'd hesitated.

He looked across at her. "I was thinking…about…us. And well, what if this…what if it doesn't work out?" She paused and he waited, sensing she wasn't finished. "Booth, I don't want to lose you as a friend."

He looked across again briefly and took her hand in his free one. "Bones…" He tried to think about how to put it, but truth be told, he was absolutely convinced that things _would _work out between them. He'd never felt so strongly about anybody in his life, but he wasn't sure the explanation was rational enough for her. "Bones, even if things _don't_ work out," _Moot point, _he thought, "I'm not gonna leave you. I care too much about you to walk away." She didn't look all that convinced so he decided to try a different route. "Okay, listen to me. I know you won't believe me, and I know you won't understand this, but things _will _work out between us." He looked into her eyes for a second, hoping to convey the sincerity with which he said the words.

She _did _see the truth in his eyes, but all that meant was that _Booth _believed the words he spoke were accurate. His beliefs were unlikely to have any bearing on the outcome of their situation.

"How do you know that?"

He tried to think of the best way to explain, with a rationale and logic that would appeal to her. "I jus- Okay, how long have we been working together?"

She had a quizzical look in her eyes. "Five and a half years."

He nodded and looked across at her again, feeling that this conversation would not ideally be taking place whilst he was trying to drive. "Okay. Five and a half years. Well Angela once told me that Cam had said something to her about how it was like we're in a relationship, and the only thing missing is the sex." He looked across, surprised to see that she didn't refute the claim. "That was when Cam first arrived, so…" He squinted his eyes, remembering when the doctor had joined them.

"Four years ago."

He smiled, "Right." He looked at her again, she didn't get it. "What I'm trying to say, Bones, is that we were already in a relationship. We may not have been having sex," _We still aren't, "_but sex usually isn't the problem, it's the stress of spending time together that puts a strain on relationships." He felt like Sweets. "And we don't have that. For the last five years we've spent the majority of our time together, and look at us." She was thinking it through so he gave her a minute of quiet, desperately hoping she wasn't going to throw it all away. Even _he_ had been surprised at the ease with which he had even mentioned sex in her company. Something had definitely changed between them.

She looked into his eyes, "Booth, I dun-" He cut her off, trying to convince her for the third time.

"Okay, listen to me." He hesitated, "What about…if we get a second opinion?" Booth was never comfortable talking about his private life with _anyone, _but he'd do just about anything to make this work.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, why don't we get the worst part over now, and tell Hacker. We'll ask him whether he's concerned."

"Booth are you crazy? We can't tell Hacker. It happened ten hours ago."

Booth was really struggling now, he wanted to be able to look into her eyes and tell her everything was going to be okay, he wanted her to be able to feel what he felt. "Bones, we'll have to tell him eventually anyway. Please, do this for me."

Brennan looked at their hands, resting on the central console, and Booth gave her another moment to herself. The emotional part of Brennan wanted so badly to believe him, to believe that things between them_ could_ work out well. Though the rational part of her was still sceptical, Booth's words had helped. She could understand what he was saying, but she still wasn't entirely sure whether the logic could be applied to their situation. She needed to talk to someone. Her obvious confidant was Angela, and Brennan could trust her to keep the secret, she hoped. "Okay. But I want to call Angela first." Angela was like Booth, good at reading people – just not _quite _as good – so Brennan suspected it would take her less than a minute to find out anyway. Once they were back in D.C there would be no hiding it from her and she was good with emotions, she was sure that she could give her good advice. Angela should be the first port of call in emergency situations such as this.

Booth's eyes widened, "You wanna talk to Angela? Okay."

He was hopeful at the choice. He was pretty damn sure that Angela would convince Brennan that it was a good idea, hell, she'd been banging on about it for the past five years. Frankly, Booth would let Brennan talk to _Cam_ if that was what she needed to be confident that this relationship could work. "Okay. Call Angela."

"I will."

BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES

The last two hours of the journey passed in relative quiet. It wasn't uncomfortable, and there were several points at which one of the couple broke it to start a conversation. Brennan was feeling nervous. Despite Angela's constant gushing about Booth, Brennan couldn't be sure that her opinion would be the same now that it was happening. "Booth. Do you need me for the interview with Seddon?"

"Umm, no I guess not. Why?" He looked over just as they were pulling into the near-empty parking lot.

"Do you mind if I call Angela _now_?"

He turned off the engine. "Course not. I probably won't be long anyway." He resisted the urge to kiss her, knowing that it could end badly, but If he'd had it his way he would have gone all out.

Giving an optimistic smile, he hopped out the car, leaving Brennan alone.

Brennan sat in silence for a few minutes. Angela had been pestering her about Booth for so long that she almost felt nervous telling her. She had the feeling that there had always been expectation of this conversation on Angela's part, at least. She hit the speed-dial and waited. The line rang four times before she picked up. "Bren! Hi, how are you honey? Got anything for us?"

Brennan couldn't help the small smile that escaped at the sound of her familiar bubbly tone. "Hey Ange. No, I'm just waiting for Booth to finish interviewing Seddon."

"Oh okay. So, why did you call?" She shrugged to the empty car.

"I just wanted to see how you were all doing." She was lying.

"Oh, right. Well, we're okay. Hodgins is walking around like a balloon headed idiot, convinced he solved the case single-handedly, but hey, what's new, right."

They both laughed. "Right." The next fifteen minutes were filled with trivial conversation, Brennan dragging it out as long as possible.

Angela wasn't fooled. She couldn't remember a time that she had ever spent this long on the phone with Brennan, much less without either of them having any problems.

"Bren, why did you call?"

"I told yo-"

"No, I mean why did you _really _call?"

There was a long silence. "I need to talk to you, about Booth."

Angela stifled a gasp, desperately praying that it was what she was hoping for, but knowing better than to expect it. "Sure." She worked to sound nonchalant.

"Well. We slept together. Not sexually." She added the last statement quickly, she knew the conclusions Angela's brain would jump to, and how quickly it would get there.

Angela broke into a smile, _at last, that's a start, _she thought. "So…"

"We kissed. There was a power cut." Angela, smiled as she thought and forced away a scream, _This is what movies are made of. "_And then, I fell asleep in his bed."

"Honey, you should have called earlier! This is big." She knew Brennan better than to believe that she'd called purely to inform her of the development. "So…?" Angela looked behind her to check the door to her office was closed; it was.

"I don't know what to do Ange. I don't know if I can do this. What if I mess it up, what if he ends up hating me and then he leaves just like everyone else?"

Angela looked at the photo of her friend on her desk for a moment, she knew this persuasion wasn't going to be easy, "He won't." _She _knew that, but Brennan didn't. She spoke again, "Sweetie, Booth is a big, strong, hot guy who wants to save your life. I mean, you actually have a knight in shining FBI standard-issue body armour, and he loves you."

"Wha- Angela, how can you know that?"

"Believe me Bren, everyone can see it. And you love him too, you just don't know it yet." This argument just wasn't going to cut it. "Look, honey. You'd be dating your best friend." – the word 'dating' didn't seem strong enough for Booth and Brennan, they could never _just _date, but it was the best she had – "He's _always _been there for you, and he _knows _you. What could possibly go wrong?"

"But you're my best friend." Angela sighed, of all the things she could pick up on and argue with, _that _was her choice.

"No. No I'm not. Booth is the one that knows you better, Booth is the one you spend more time with. Booth is the one you sit in the bar with at the end of every case. And you're not my best friend either. Not anymore, I have Hodgins." Brennan thought about that and Angela allowed her ten seconds of quiet.

The arguments Angela gave were valid, but she wasn't sure they were enough. "Booth wants to talk to Hacker about it."

"That probably wouldn't be such a bad idea. You know, have you ever had a conversation with that man? He's not so different to you, very…rational." There was no other way to put it. She'd talked to the man one day, he'd taken an interest in the Angelator. He'd seemed nice.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he was-"

"No. I mean about Booth."

"Ohh, positive." She really was.

There was another twenty seconds of silence, just the sound of the breeze outside keeping Brennan company. "Okay. Thanks Angela. You've been very insightful. I'll see you soon." She may have been _insightful, _but Brennan wasn't yet sure whether she had been _helpful. _

"Sure honey." The line went dead.

Brennan pulled the lever and pushed; she needed some fresh air. She caught herself on the door as she slipped on the ice, and leant against the car, staring into space.

It was only another minute before Booth returned, navigating and hopping over the patches of ice with the ease and agility of an athlete. He came over to where Brennan was, keeping his distance until he knew where he stood.

"We won't get anything else out of Seddon. He's staying quiet. He was nervous though, but still arrogant. I think he may be up to something." Brennan nodded and waited for the inevitable.

"So, did you talk to Angela?" She folded her arms but her eyes gave nothing away.

"Yes." She paused.

"And?" Booth's eyes widened.

"She said talking to Hacker would be a good idea. Apparently he's like me." Booth didn't even bother to ask what that meant. He couldn't be sure what his boss would say, but they'd beaten the first hurdle. He smiled and lifted his arms to plant them either side of her on the car – wary of her reaction - enclosing her between the vehicle and his body. He leaned in, hesitating slightly allowing her time to back out. She didn't, so he pressed his lips to hers again, moving so that their bodies were touching. He pulled away from the kiss light-headed, giving his body a moment to adjust before finally opening his eyes.

"Let's go." She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. As much as experience told her otherwise – it would suggest that loving him would inevitably lead to him leaving – Brennan couldn't help but hope for Hacker's approval. And if what Angela had said about him was right, then it would certainly provide some comfort.

**A/N: How many of you still reading? Please review… **


	15. A partnership like theirs

**Chapter 15: 'He wished he'd had a partnership like theirs.'**

**A/N: Sorry for the slight delay in uploading. The next chapter will still go up tomorrow as scheduled.**

The journey had taken a little over two hours. The roads had improved slightly with the increasing amount of traffic, and it hadn't snowed that morning. They sat quietly, listening to the music, with Booth shooting the occasional glance at his partner, just because he could.

Brennan pointed to the window as they approached the hotel, "Hacker's in the café. Let's speak to him now." She _had _been nervous about the conversation, but she was eager to find out where she stood.

Booth gulped and looked in the other direction; his reluctance to talk to other people about their relationship had returned. "Um, Bones. He's probably busy, w-"

"What? Booth, he's drinking coffee. Come on." She ignored his complete lack of enthusiasm and pulled him along by the arm.

He didn't resist until they'd entered the café, when finally he pulled his arm away, forcing her to turn to look at him. "Bon-"

"Booth, Dr. Brennan." Booth was interrupted by Hacker's call. He was beckoning them with his arm, so they went over to sit opposite. Something about the sight of Hacker and the reminder that he liked them calmed him just a little.

"Andrew," Booth grimaced as Brennan greeted him. He didn't remember Hacker ever giving her permission to use his first name but he didn't seem to mind, "we wanted to talk to you about something actually."

He nodded, "Go ahead."

Booth's gaze was fixed on the table as Brennan spoke, "Well, you know Booth and I have been working together for a long time now. And well, something happened."

She didn't need to say anything more. When Brennan had first started working with Booth, Hacker had been so suspicious that he'd filled in the form to send informing the Bureau of their relationship. It had taken him a while - and several conversations with Cam at the Jeffersonian - to realise he'd jumped to conclusions. But now, the fear in Brennan's eyes, and Booth's averted gaze, told him that something _had _finally happened. "Right." Booth looked up, reassured by the calm tone of Hacker's voice.

"So? Does this mean we can't work together?" It was Booth who spoke, and Brennan silently cursed him; he hadn't said that this could threaten their working relationship, though she supposed if she had been willing to open her mind to all possibilities, she would have considered it herself. She'd been more worried that it would ruin their partnership, unaided by a contractual termination.

He smiled slightly, the expression tugging at his lips, "As much as I know I should be trying to terminate your partnership, or at least advise you against this, I'm not going to." Booth let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding in.

He shot a look at Brennan, who remained apparently emotionless, "Why not?" She wasn't going to jump to conclusions; she'd wait until she had all the facts.

"I'm confident, if not certain, that a romantic relationship between you would work. You're both too comfortable with each other for it to prevent you from voicing your opinions. If you already showed a regard for each other's feelings in the sense that it prevented you from saying things for fear of embarrassing each other, then I may be worried. But you don't, you're constantly trying to better each other, and that won't change." Suddenly, it felt like Hacker was trying to _persuade _them to give the relationship a go, and he was. Seeing them interact with each other made it hard for him not to wish them both happiness.

He continued, leaning forward onto the table, "As for the reasons why things won't end badly, I thought it was obvious. For starters, you already know the worst about each other, you know each other's secrets. Dr. Brennan, you are aware of the number of people Booth had killed and his former career as an army sniper, and if that wasn't enough, you seem to constantly try to assure him of his good intentions." Booth winced at that. "You know about and have met Parker. And Booth, you were there when Dr. Brennan's father turned up, you arrested him for murder. And, let's not beat around the bush, you know that Dr. Brennan can at times, be socially inept."

He wasn't done. "Secondly, I don't think that, no matter how bad it got – which I don't believe is relevant anyway – you two would never intentionally hurt each other. And, you may deny this, but I don't think you'd ever leave each other." Neither did deny it. Booth knew point blank that he'd never leave. Brennan, despite the fact that she knew situations could change, was inclined to think the same. "Thirdly, you really are practically in a relationship already. That pretty girl from you lab once said something to me." Booth and Brennan both sighed, _Has Angela talked to _everyone _about us? _Hacker continued regardless. "She said that you were in a relationship, but without the...y'know." They did know, it would seem Angela had never been particularly discrete with her theories. "And lastly, I know you two have been blissfully unaware," – though in actuality, they hadn't been as unaware as everybody thought – "but everybody else, both at the lab and the FBI," - though the guys at the Bureau hadn't been quite so sincere in their anticipation - "has been waiting for a catalyst. You're the most compatible couple I think I've ever seen."

Brennan looked down at her entwined hands. He presented a strong argument. And she could see that Angela had been right, Hacker was the right person to come to. Booth stole another quick glance at Brennan, glad to see that at least, she didn't look angry or upset. She looked the same way she pretty much always did…curious.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, she looked up to meet Andrew Hacker's gaze again, "How?" She was referring to the _compatibility._

Hacker sighed now. How to explain to such a rationalist. Until he'd met Dr. Brennan, he'd considered himself to be very rational and logical. The forensic anthropologist had added scope and perspective to that observation. "It's hard to explain." He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to think of testable observations he'd made, "The way you regularly insult each other in conversation, yet neither of you takes it to heart. The way that when you move, there's never an inch of unnecessary space between you. The way that you readily and willingly defend each other against insult or otherwise. Booth, don't think I haven't noticed the ribbing you get from the other lads, but you put up with it. _Unless, _it goes too far. If anyone gets anywhere near saying a bad word about Dr. Brennan, you react, and not half-heartedly. And Dr. Brennan, I _heard_ that conversation with Trickett and Fryer yesterday, you do everything in your power to refute claims made by peers. And yet, whilst this is all going on, you liberally insult each other, and for the most part, seem happy for the banter to continue."

He had one last thing to add. "And as if that's not enough, let's not forget that you have Sweets on hand. He's an excellent psychiatrist and though I don't think you'll ever require his help for your personalrelationship, he follows you around like a lost puppy a lot of the time. If you _do_ need help or advice, he'll give it to you."

Brennan looked down for another couple of minutes whilst the two men at the table gave her some time to think. Booth looked up to Hacker, trying to convey his thanks for encouraging the relationship in a look. Brennan considered what the Assistant Deputy Director had said. She had to admit, it made sense. Everything he had said was rational and logical, making it hard to dispute. She found herself convinced, and whilst she realised situations could change, she wanted so badly to believe that what Booth had said was true; he wouldn't leave her regardless of circumstances. She could say with relative certainty that the words were true _for her_, and so her face broke into a coy smile.

She looked up to Hacker, "Andrew, thank you."

He tipped his head, "No problem." There was a smile on his face as well, he couldn't help but be happy for the pair.

Then they both looked to Booth. He'd caught a glimpse of Brennan's face and turned to her now. _His _face was priceless. The smile that grew there was the broadest she'd ever seen. His eyes sparkled, his mouth opened slightly, he looked as though he'd just won the lottery. He had. Still cautious of her feelings about this, and ready to ask her as soon as they were alone, he reached over under the table and clasped her hand in his own.

He turned back to his boss who had opened his mouth to speak. He was still smiling. "Right. Anyway, how are you doing with the case?"

Booth pulled himself out of the daze, holding onto Brennan's hand but clearing his face a little. "Oh. Um, okay well the squints have pretty much got him. We've got stuff in the car matching the body and dirt from the two burial sites. We can prove that the body was transported in a car that Seddon had access to. Only thing we don't have physical evidence on is the murder weapon. But with his shady character, previous conviction, and Whitton's testimony, we should have it in the bag."

"And Seddon will definitely appeal?" None of this would even matter if he didn't.

Booth nodded, "Without a doubt. We'll send Caroline but I can't see the request being turned down. He'll get the retrial." Hacker nodded, he was right.

"Brilliant. Nice work. Check on Whitton then take the rest of the day off. Drive back tomorrow. I'll send Trickett back with Fryer, I get the impression you don't get on too well." Booth and Brennan both smiled at him. They really were starting to like the guy. And Hacker liked them, he couldn't help favouring them. Not only were they nicer than most of Booth's colleagues, they were better at their jobs and had much better intentions; there was no doubt in Hacker's mind that they were in it to seek justice, not for the glory.

He lifted a hand, telling them they could leave. Booth released Brennan and got out first, stretching whilst he waited for his partner to shuffle out of the booth. He put a hand on Brennan's back, guiding her out of the café in front of him. Hacker smiled again, shook his head, and turned back to the coffee in front of him; he wished he'd had a partnership like theirs.

**A/N: From what I can remember of Hacker (which is very little), I've basically made a new character of him in this. But I'm guessing no one has any particularly strong feelings about him so I'm hoping no one minds **

**Please review **


	16. Booth's hand drifted

**Chapter 16: 'Booth's hand drifted.'**

**A/N: I just want to take a second to remind people to have another (or a first if you haven't checked it out already) look at the character pics via the link on my profile.**

Booth turned to Brennan, the smile crossing his face once again. It was 12 o'clock. "We'll go and see Whitton, then get some lunch."

Brennan smiled back at him. They looked like idiots, discussing something so unimportant whilst grinning at each other regarding another silent and invisible conversation that they technically weren't having. Brennan reminded herself that she was still working, and pushed the expression from her face. "Okay. Let's go."

The short journey to the block of flats was nice with the music low, they sat in a comfortable quiet. Every time they stopped at the lights, Booth turned to watch her. She felt his eyes, but said nothing, continuing to stare out the window, a faint smile of satisfaction on her lips. She glanced at him every so often, and the smile grew a little, now daring to let her mind wander to what a relationship with Booth could mean.

As they walked up to Whitton's flat, his hand drifted to the small of his partner's back once more. He followed her up the stairs, and overtook her to knock on the door a few times to no avail. Booth looked up and down the hall as if expecting to see someone to shed some light on the situation; with Whitton unemployed, there weren't many places he could be.

Brennan peered in through the letterbox. "Booth, something's wrong." She straightened up and pointed to the opening. He hesitated a second before crouching to look through the slit; china was scattered everywhere, probably the result of broken ornaments. A table that had been in the middle of the short hall had been turned over and there was a small pool of blood by one of the doorways.

Booth stood, and used an arm to sweep Brennan back a step, "Stay back."

He pulled the gun out of his holster and aimed it at the lock. It took him a fraction of a second to discharge the bullet. He pushed the door and it swung open eerily. Brennan followed Booth in as he checked the place out; it was empty.

"No one here," Booth announced. "Seddon got to him." He rubbed a hand over his face, one hand on his hip, "We should have known this was coming. Seddon has plenty of people on the outside. No point in going down to see him again. We've already wasted enough time on him and it'll probably be too late." He pulled out his phone and dialled a number.

His conversation with Trickett lasted only half a minute whilst he explained and gave instructions. He hung up a dialled for the second time, this time explaining to Hacker. Booth listened patiently as his boss ranted. He wasn't ranting at Booth, more at himself. He repeated Booth's words; _We should have known this was coming._

He flipped the phone shut a couple of minutes later, turning to see Brennan examining the blood on the carpet. "This must be Whitton's." She felt a small pang of sadness. She had liked Whitton when they'd met him, and though this amount of blood loss would not have been fatal, it wasn't looking good.

"We need to find him. Without his testimony, Seddon will get off."

"How long do we have before the retrial?"

"They're hearing the appeal today. If the retrial is approved we'll have a week, max. FBI forensics is on their way." **(A/N: Just wanted to quickly say that I have no doubt this is all incredibly rushed and the justice system doesn't work so quickly in real life, but for the purpose of this story I'm gonna pretend it does.)**

Brennan nodded and continued to study the floor whilst Booth began to look through papers and his phone for any clue of where they'd taken him.

BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES

An hour later, the appartment was a crime scene. The front door was taped up, and there were FBI teams scattered everywhere. Booth was talking to Hacker and Brennan went over to a person with a clipboard, in charge of FBI forensics.

She didn't bother with the niceties, "Get a sample of the blood sent to the Jeffersonian. Also, make sure they get all the pictures of the scene-" She held up a hand and walked towards the back of the room. "Booth? Come here." Booth looked over at her immediately and walked to stand above her. Brennan had knelt down again. She pointed at the pad of the safe before her.

"Yeah, they must've got the code off Whitton." He looked unimpressed.

Brennan sighed and looked up at him, "Booth, look at the buttons, they're close together. The only way they would have opened this without leaving prints would have been if they were wearing examination gloves." He widened her eyes, indicating that he hadn't picked up on whatever it was that she had expected him to realise, "I feel that some conjecture is appropriate here considering the time constraints. If I were to guess, I would have said that the kidnapper would have been an amateur, Seddon needed to get rid of Whitton quick, he wouldn't have had the time or freedom in jail to call anyone on a watch list."

A look of realisation flooded Booth's face. "You think you can get a print off of this?"

She nodded, "Probably. If they were professionals then they wouldn't have even looked at the safe, they would have only come for Whitton."

Booth smiled, "And if they weren't professionals…Bones, you're brilliant." He turned around, "Hey, Styles, get over here. Brush this pad for fingerprints, we need the results as soon as possible." He glared at the man to demonstrate the seriousness.

"Yes sir. We should have the results by tomorrow morning." Booth frowned, "Backlog at the lab Agent Booth."

"Fine." The man scuttled away.

"Booth," she demanded his attention again, "_if _we get a match, which we may not, we'll still need to link the kidnapper to Seddon."

Booth nodded, this thought had already come to him, "Yeah I know, but it's a start. It shouldn't be _too _difficult." He slipped his notebook into his pocket and glanced at his watch, half one. "C'mon Bones. Let's get some lunch then we can start looking for a connection."

She opened her mouth to speak but Booth cut her off before any sound came out, "Ah. No _buts_ Bones. C'mon." She reluctantly agreed. Booth gave some final instructions to everyone at the scene, informed Hacker of their plans, then led Brennan out of the building.


	17. She locked eyes with him

**Chapter 17: 'She locked eyes with him.'**

"Okay, okay Bones. Just eat, alright." Booth tucked into his own plate of food as he gestured to hers. They'd left Whitton's flat an hour ago but since they'd sat down all they'd talked about was work. Brennan had been pestering him to make calls, press on with the investigation. After several reassurances that he had people at the FBI investigating manically, and that they would be the first to know if someone found something, she finally picked up a fork and started to eat. Booth watched her for a moment.

"Bones." He still wasn't positive of what was going on in terms of their _relationship_, "The conversation with Hacker earlier…" He trailed off, hoping she would understand the question in his voice. Unsurprisingly, she didn't. "Wha- What are we doing?"

She shrugged, looking for one brief moment like it was the most inconsequential thing in the world. "What he said made sense." She looked up, and there was a vulnerability there that rarely surfaced, "Booth, I need you to promise me something though."

He gazed into her eyes, and at that moment he wasn't sure there was anything he _wouldn't _promise her, though the request had surprised him a little. "Go on." He ate another mouthful of food.

"Just- I know it's irrational to think that circumstances won't change. But promise you won't leave. That no matter how much you hate me, you won't walk out on us." He didn't need to ask to know that when she said _us, _she meant _all _of the squints. They were _all _family now.

He answered without hesitation. He didn't bother bringing the argument up, but in truth, he could never imagine a situation get so bad that he cut her out of his life. It wouldn't happen. So he nodded, "Bones," He reached across to rest his hand on hers, "I _promise, _I'll never leave." She smiled. She could never be entirely convinced. She was convinced that _Booth _was being _sincere, _just not that his view would never change.

She went back to eating, "Stop staring at me."

"Right, sorry." He pulled his eyes and his hand away and went back to his own meal.

BONES-BONES-BONES-BONES-BONES

Half an hour later, fully fed and ready to go, they sat in the SUV. They were waiting on a call from the FBI with a list of numbers Seddon had called in the past twenty four hours. The music was down low, and the heating was turned up.

Booth had gone back to watching Brennan, he couldn't help it. She looked beautiful and the fact that she was _his_ – though he highly doubted that that turn of phrase was appropriate for _their _relationship – only made her seem even _more_ beautiful.

"What?" Brennan turned to meet the stare. He'd been looking at her for two minutes now, but she'd fought to keep her gaze averted.

She locked eyes with him and he turned his body to look at her properly. He lifted an arm, with the initial intention of brushing away a stray hair from her face. That he did, but he didn't let go. Instead, the hand moved around to the back of her head, and gently pulled her towards him as he leaned forwards. His lips parted in anticipation, and he looked down at hers. As their mouths met, their eyes closed and they got lost in the moment.

The kiss was broken by the ring of Booth's cell phone. He pulled away with a smile, and answered. "Booth."

He took out his notebook again and wrote down all the phone numbers given to him. "Okay, so we've got three numbers. The first is a bakery here in Pittsburgh, the second was a call to his mother, and the third was to a residence just round the corner."

"So we need to check out the bakery, right?" He'd almost forgotten how much better she'd got at _cop work._

"Right. Seddon would have panicked so he would have called the minute we left. And he has no reason to be calling a bakery, they don't deliver to prisons." He grinned at his almost-joke and she could help but return his infectious smile, despite not really understanding the sarcasm; _Of course they don't deliver to prisons._

He reluctantly pulled his eyes away and started the engine, setting the SatNav to the address they'd given him, and smiling as his hand brushed against Brennan's.

**A/N: I know this is a short chapter. Sorry but I didn't have time to upload another so I'll be updating again tomorrow with a much longer instalment. See ya then…**


	18. Request back up

**Chapter 18: 'Request back up.'**

Booth led the way into the small shabby building. It was already looking suspicious; cracked window panes, dead flowers, and the tiny amount of bread on display wasn't helping to make an innocent impression. If not for the 'Bakery' sign above the door, you would never have guessed it was a bakery.

"Hello?" He called out to warn the occupants – if there were any - of their presence.

A man walked through an open doorway and Booth lay a discrete hand on his gun. "Mr. Fitz?" The man that emerged was white. And a giant. He towered over Booth's tall stature, a solid six foot five. He was young, no more than twenty five, and despite the confident swagger, Booth saw a apprehension in his eyes; he wasn't used to dealing with the police.

He worked to keep his voice polite and calm, "Yeah, that's me. Can I help you."

The guy already knew who they were but Booth flashed his badge anyway, "Yeah we'd like a word. I'm Special Agent Booth, this here's my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan." He looked wary. Booth turned to Brennan, "Bones, flip the sign." Brennan did as he said, turning the sign on the door so that it would read _Closed _from the outside.

Booth could see the guy was inexperienced, and he didn't want to go easy on him. The more nervous they made him, the better. The look on his face clearly said they'd chosen the right phone number; this was the kidnapper. "Can you tell us where you've been in the last twenty four hours?"

"I've been here." The reply had been instantaneous, a reflex.

"What all night? You slept here?"

Fitz realised his mistake as the words left his mouth. He stammered, "Uh-well-uh-no. I mean I was at home, and then I came here."

Booth exaggerated his nod and glanced at Brennan. She looked just as unconvinced as he did. Brennan was the one to speak. She had walked over to the counter behind the fridge, "Are these what you wore for the abduction?"

Normally, Booth would have complained about her instant reveal and lack of subtlety, but there was no doubt this was their guy and they didn't have time to be nice; Whitton could already be dead. He stepped forward, reaching for the cuffs. "Dean Fitz, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the assault and kidnap of James Whitton. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you." Booth pulled the guy over to a seat and beckoned Brennan.

He handed her the gun in his holster, "He moves, shoot him." Disturbingly, but not unusually, her response was a smile.

Booth backed away, keeping them both in sight whilst he pulled out a cell to request back up.

BONES-BONES-BONES-BONES-BONES

Half an hour later they sat in the interrogation room. There was a knock at the door and Booth left to be greeted by Hacker. "I rushed the fingerprints. We got a match; Dean Fitz. That's your man. He was arrested for petty theft a couple of months back."

Booth nodded and clapped a hand to his shoulder. He silently thanked whatever made he and Brennan his favourites, again. It wasn't often that Hacker would be so involved in a case. "No problem. Priority now is to find out where Whitton is. He's probably dead, but we'll need a body. And just make sure you can link that bastard," he gestured to the room, "to Seddon. The phone call may be enough for us, but the jury will want an admission. I'll get uniform to search his place and see if we can find whatever it was that he took out of that safe."

Booth returned to the interrogation room. Brennan was sat across from Fitz, staring at him, but remaining silent. Booth sat on the edge of the table in order to keep the height advantage. "So Fitz, we found a fingerprint at Whitton's flat. Ready to talk?"

The man opened his mouth and then shut it again. Booth spoke, "Hey!" He demanded the man's full attention, "The way things stand, you're going down for life. Tell us where Whitton is, give us something on Seddon, maybe they'll go easy on you."

Seddon said nothing so Booth's hand clapped down on the table making a sound loud enough to cause him to jump. Brennan leant forwards, "Look, Dean. You're only twenty three. Do you really want to spend your whole life in prison? We know you did it. Help us get Seddon and he'll stay inside, you won't have to worry about him again."

The interrogation lasted for half an hour before he cracked. The eventual mention of the death penalty had caused him to talk. "Okay, okay." His voice was gruff.

He paused for another ten seconds, deliberating whether it was the right decision before finally speaking again, "Seddon called me yesterday. Gave me an address and told me to make sure the guy was unavailable for the next month…he told me to kill him…but I couldn't. I tied him up and left him in an old post office."

Booth sighed, it was as good as murder, he raised his voice to shout, "WHERE IS HE?" They had the confession they needed. Enough for the moment anyway.

The man muttered an address and Booth looked towards the one-way observational mirror. He jerked a thumb towards the bastard sat behind him, "Trickett, finish up here. Send an ambulance to the post office and get a written confession from this guy."

Booth slung an arm around Brennan and pulled her along with him. They ran to the SUV and sped towards the address.

They neared the entrance, "Bones, stay back yeah. Fitz could be lying. For all we know Whitton isn't even here and we're walking right into a rigged building."

Brennan did as he said, they didn't have time to argue about it. Booth shot the lock on the door and pushed it open, holding his gun up and checking the one room before running in. He went straight to the man slouched in the corner.

Brennan joined him barely a second later and knelt next to him. Whitton was just about conscious and Booth helped him up, sliding under his arm and supporting almost all of his weight as they broke out into the open air. Booth sat him down and leant him up against the wall of the building whilst Brennan checked his head and chest wounds. They were deep, but not serious. He'd lost a lot of blood but there was no fresh liquid. She took off Booth's coat and wrapped it around him. He'd been stuck there in sub-zero temperatures and he was shivering violently.

Booth returned half a minute later. He'd grabbed a blanket out of the back of the SUV and slung it over him, then handed a bottle of water to Brennan. She lifted Whitton's face to pour in the water and then let his head lean back.

Booth leant down again. "You alright? Come on, you need to get warm. Come and sit in the car."

He supported Whitton's weight again as he dragged him to sit in the passenger seat.

The EMT's arrived a couple of minutes later. They checked him out and took him away in the ambulance.


	19. He'd done all the running

**Chapter 19: 'He'd done all the running.'**

"Is this the guy?" Whitton nodded weakly. Brennan looked at the man sat in the hospital bed; he'd looked a little better now he'd been cleaned up. Other than some cosmetic wounds and some bruising, he was fine, just dehydrated. He looked shaken though, his past experience with criminals hadn't left him confident when on the receiving end.

Even Booth was feeling sorry for the man. Both knew it was irrational; the guy had helped to bury a dead man – but he seemed genuinely sorry for what he had done, and he was being cooperative. "We'll let you know when we have some more news about Seddon and Fitz."

Whitton nodded and then let his head fall back and closed his eyes. Brennan followed Booth out the door and he hung back to walk alongside her. He knew Brennan, and he knew she would want to keep things professional at work so he was doing his best to avoid the PDA's.

By the time they were back in the SUV it had gone half past four. They started to drive back to hotel, interrupted by the ring of Booth's cell. He handed the phone to Brennan, who flipped it open and held it to her ear. She closed it a minute later.

"The fingerprint is a partial. It's irrelevant though because Trickett says they've got a written statement and promise that he'll testify from Fitz. He's admitted to the kidnap and that it was Seddon who contacted him."

"Great. That plus the statement from Whitton, we've got him." Booth parked and let his head lean back. The last two days had been non-stop and he was feeling tired, he looked to her with a grin. "Shower then dinner?"

"Takeout?" Brennan had fought to stay professional throughout the day, it wasn't usually such a struggle but with the less hectic days whilst they were away from home, she was finding it harder to be distracted by work. The lab was the only thing which may be able to keep her concentration. She'd averted her gaze every time he grinned handsomely, and fiddled with her hands when she'd felt the urge to hold onto him. She still wasn't sure that this was going to work but presented with the strong arguments for a relationship, and posed with no opposing opinions from anyone but herself, she'd decided to give it a go.

He grinned handsomely, and now the day was over – sort of – she didn't bother restraining herself. She took him by surprise, running a hand over the back of his head and kissing him momentarily. Booth smiled as they broke apart – though the smile had never really left him face in the first place. So far, he'd done all the running. Despite her assurance that they _were _going to give it a go, the unprompted kiss she'd planted confirmed it. "Takeout it is." He pecked her once more lightly on the lips then opened the door.

Most of the snow and ice had cleared, obviously aided by a shovel and some more salt. He wrapped an arm loosely around their waist as they headed for their rooms. Booth handed the second of the keys he'd been given for his room to Brennan, "Just come over when you're ready." She smiled at the insignificant gesture, somehow managing to rear a significance anyway.

Brennan took longer to get ready this time. She washed her hair and blow-dried it, leaving the ends wavy. She dressed in jeans and the same shirt she'd worn the day before, then picked up the FBI fleece – she'd never got the jacket back from Whitton – and let herself into the door to the next room. "Bones, that you?"

Brennan scrunched her face in confusion, "Who else?" Booth smiled to himself in the mirror and wiped the last of the shaving foam off of his chin.

Booth joined her ten seconds later, leaving the bathroom cleanly shaved and clad in a pair of boxers and a black vest. His arms were still a little damp from the shower, leaving his skin with a faint glisten. Brennan strode over and held onto his arms immediately. They slid down the length as her face hovered a centimetre from Booth's. He smirked – she was worthy of much more credit for her romantic gestures – and closed the gap eagerly.

"Gimme two minutes." Brennan nodded and sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed. She watched in mild amusement as he continued the routine.

He first pulled on a pair of socks, striped with two shades of green and a red toe and rim. Next, he pulled a pair of jeans up and fastened the familiar belt buckle again. Booth shrugged into the same black shirt as the night before and lifted an arm to reach for the bottle of cologne standing on his dresser. Brennan shot up and restrained his hand, taking the bottle and returning it to it's place. Her face flushed as she realised that she was going to be forced, yet again, to admit how much she really _had _noticed Booth as a potential partner. He shot her the inevitable questioning look, complete with a raised eyebrow.

She shrugged, trying to keep an air of nonchalance, "I…like how you smell."

That pleased him more than it should. His eyes sparkled and he leaned back as if to inspect her face for any hint of deception. "You like how I smell?"

She shrugged again, "Yeah…"

Booth smirked to himself, "Okay." He stepped into the pair of black Vans slip-ons, grabbed his fleece and jacket and headed out the door.

"Here, take my jacket." He had the fleece on but he'd noticed Brennan was sans jacket tonight.

She looked at him with her best _I-can-look-after-myself _expression. He couldn't contain a smile as he mocked her, though silently flattered at the compliment she'd offered, "It smells of me."

She tried to keep her face angry but it was no use, a grin broke through and she took it. He waited and then threw his arm around her shoulder, holding her close to him.


	20. Still not happening

**Chapter 20: 'Still not happening.'**

Booth and Brennan had resumed the positions from the night before. They sat with their backs against the end of Booths bed. Their meal sat inbetween them, multiple boxes from a Chinese restaurant they'd been able to pick out in the clearer air.

"Hacker's sending us home tomorrow. Fryer and Trickett are staying out here but he said he'd rather we went back to D.C to work on a new case they've got."

"Oh, okay." In all honesty, Brennan had enjoyed being out here. When it came to her personal life, it had been nice not to have to worry about Angela, Cam, Sweets or Hodgins picking up on the new relationship.

"And Sweets called just before I got in the shower, he wants to see us."

"Right." No matter how little stock Brennan put in Sweets' psychology, she couldn't deny that the boy had talent; at the least, a knack for reading people.

Booth looked at her. He was worried about whether things would change now that she was faced with the prospect of going home, but pleased to see that there was no trace of regret on her face. Fear or nerves maybe; but no regret. He smiled encouragingly, "We don't have to tell people y'know. Hacker isn't going to say anything so we can keep it to ourselves for a while, let the chips fall where they may."

"I don't know what that means. But I _would _like to keep it discrete, for the moment at least. It's not that I don't want people to know, it's just…" she tried to put her thoughts into words, but Booth had already ran this through in his own mind.

"We could do without the added pressure from the expectation?"

Brennan smiled, "Yes. How did you know?"

"Bones, I know you much better than you think." He really did.

Without warning, he pushed himself up and grabbed all the empty boxes, "I'm gonna dump this stuff down the chute, be back in a minute."

Brennan got up as well, and walked over to the bathroom to wash her hands. She walked out the same time that Booth walked back in.

He smiled to her, and their eyes locked for a moment, before he gently pushed her up against the wall, pinning her between his body and the wall. He leant down to kiss her, pleased to have her alone and relaxed for the first time today.

His lips moved down to her neck and she could feel the warm tickle of his breath there as he spoke, "Bones, I like how you smell too." He smiled into her neck then returned his lips to her mouth.

A couple of minutes later, Booth mustered up every ounce of self-restraint he had and reluctantly pulled away, "Bones, we should stop." He didn't want their first time to be in a dodgy hotel. He wanted it to be in the comfort of one of their homes, once Brennan was absolutely positive that her friends weren't going to put her off. If they _did _sleep together, and return to be greeted by a less than encouraging group of friends, things could end badly. And though Booth was all but positive that this wouldn't happen, he knew that it would rip him apart.

She smirked, "Why?"

"I don't wanna do this, here." She had expected as much from the overly romantic FBI agent, and pulled him in for another searing kiss.

He was lost in her for a minute before pulling away again, he smiled, "Still not happening."

"Fine. I'll go." Brennan, seemingly unaffected by Booth's charm, calmly walked over to the door. He pulled on her arm to force her to face him.

"Stay?" He knew that he'd already thrown away all the leverage he had on her. "How can you be so calm about all this? Don't I have _any _effect on you." He knew that doing this with Brennan was a completely different ball game, but he'd expected his charm to soften her up a bit. He was feeling a little sorry for himself.

She walked back towards him and looked up at him through her lashes, "You have no idea." _God, she's irresistible._

She kissed him again, and a minute later they found themselves on the bed. Booth hovered above her, supporting all of his weight with his arms. Their lips stayed on each other, moving away only to catch their breath, "Nice try." He smiled and pulled away for the third time, this time getting off of the bed to avoid another weak moment.

Brennan sighed and smiled. She went next door to change whilst she waited for Booth to return from the bathroom. When she got back, he was already laying on the bed, wearing the trackies and black vest. His eyes welcomed her to come and lie next to him, and so she did. She'd decided her efforts to entice him were useless, and frankly she didn't want Booth to do anything he didn't want to. So she snuggled up to him, letting his alpha male tendencies do as they wished.

She lay in his arm, his hand tracing up and down her side. _Her _hand did the same as last night -slipping under his vest to rest on his stomach – and her leg curled around his. Brennan's breaths quickly fell into rhythm with Booth's, and they were asleep within minutes.


	21. He grasped at the empty space

**Chapter 21: 'He grasped at the empty space.'**

Booth was the first to wake. Still used to sleeping alone, it took him a second to realise that his right arm was pinned underneath Brennan. His free limb quickly turned off the alarm, and then curled around his companion, hugging her to him. He smiled at the warmth; he could get used to waking like this.

He stayed that way for a minute and then lightly shook Brennan awake. She opened her eyes with an adorable look of confusion, finally replaced with a smile of her own.

Lifting her own arm in an unusual display of affection, her hand moved up to stroke his face, letting her fingers trace the light shadow of stubble. He looked down, his eyes searching for the offending fingers.

Without any warning, she rolled over and out of bed. The arm that had been around her grasped at the empty space, and then he followed suit. Taking the vest off in the same movement, Booth pulled a black t-shirt over his shoulders, turning around at the slam of the door. _Great, thanks for saying goodbye._The thought was sarcastic, yet he really was pleased she hadn't, pleased that she obviously wasn't changing for him.

He laughed to the empty room and pulled on a pair of jeans and socks - bright stripy ones, of course - then headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Booth checked himself over in the mirror - deciding he didn't need a shave - and ran a hand through his hair. They weren't working today - Cullen had said not to bother going into work until the following day - and as a result, he left his hair in semi-disarray. Next, he packed up the rest of his stuff and grabbed his jacket, leaving the room with just a small suitcase.

He knocked on the door of the room next door. By the time it swung open, Brennan had already walked back into the room. She was almost ready to go, just packing her washbag into the suitcase. She looked at him, "I'm ready."

"Great, let's go." They let themselves out of the room, and Booth didn't hesitate to take her hand in his. The foyer was still empty early in the morning and they returned the keys immediately. He picked her bag up, earning a disapproving stare, and led the way to the SUV. The bags were slung in the trunk as he joined her in the front seats.

"What are you smiling at?" She said the words with a smile of her own.

He looked at her, trying unsuccessfully to clear the expression. He hadn't even noticed, but he'd been smiling since he'd woken. "Wha- Nothi- I'm not, I mean, I'm just...happy."

"Why?" There was genuine confusion in her eyes.

Booth stared at her incredulously, "What do you mean _why_?" He pointed a finger back and forth between them, "It's just...us. Why? Aren't you happy?"

She shrugged. If Booth didn't know better, he would have been offended, "Yes. Of course, but you don't have to keep smiling."

He rolled his eyes at her, "I can't help it, sorry Bones." The engine roared to life.

BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES

An hour into the journey, both Booth and Brennan broke into a smile. They sang along quietly with the familiar song; _Keep On Tryin' _by_ Poco._

Laughter filled the car at the end of the track and the pair fell into a comfortable chatter for the rest of the journey.

BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES

"I'm gonna go into work, are you coming?" They were five minutes from home.

"Yeah, I'll come." Strangely, he'd missed the squints, he hadn't seen them in over a week. Let me just drop my stuff at home, then we'll swing by yours and head to the lab." There was a silence before Booth realised that he'd only made a statement; Brennan would stay quiet if he made a statement, no response required.

Brennan stayed in the car whilst he dumped his bag in the doorway and locked up again.

By the time they were at her place it had just gone half nine. She did the same, throwing the bag on the sofa then swiftly leaving after picking up the mail. They remained in a comfortable silence for the remainder of the journey, the only noise being the gentle hum of the engine.

They pulled up outside the massive building, neither making a move to exit the vehicle. "Let's go." Booth's words contradicted his actions; he sat unmoving.

"Yeah." Brennan was the first to take action. A second after she said the word she opened the door, Booth copied her. He walked to meet her at the door, pressing the button on his key and hearing the blip of the car as it locked.

They walked towards the lab, leaving more space inbetween their bodies than was strictly necessary - but not so much that it looked awkward – heading towards the people that knew them best.

**A/N: Two chapters today :) Haven't heard from a lot of you in a while, please review :D**


	22. The occasional lingering glances

**Chapter 22: 'The occasional lingering glances.'**

"Bren!" The squeal came before they could even walk through the door, and Angela rushed forward to hug Brennan, even more enthusiastic than normal.

Brennan pulled herself out and spoke quietly, "Did you tell anyone?"

Angela shook her head, still smiling, "Of course not sweetie, but I want details. We're going to have a talk after all this."

Brennan said nothing. She didn't need to because Angela's firm tone told her that she wasn't being given any choice in the matter.

The rest of the team were approaching. She exchanged a quick greeting with Zack and Cam and was pulled into a hug by Hodgins - his girlfriend's friendship with the forensic anthropologist had rubbed off on him. "Congrats with the case." She looked behind her to watch Hodgins, the last person to greet Booth with a firm handshake.

It was Booth who answered, "Yeah, thanks for your help. We really needed you on that one."

"No problem man, no problem."

"Hey, I'm gonna head up to my office, check on my emails. Has the body for Hacker's new case turned up yet?"

"Yes." Cam pointed at the decomposed pile of bones and clothes behind her. "Come down when you're done."

Brennan nodded and walked towards the stairs, closely followed by Angela.

Booth let Zack and Hodgins bore him to death (excuse the pun) with every last detail of the new body whilst he waited for his partner to return, fully aware that Angela would be probing her for every ounce of information.

"So, finally shacking up with the resident G-man are we?"

"I don't know what that means."

"It means what the hell happened?"

Brennan frowned at the volume of her voice and shut the office door. "Angela! Shhh..." Angela stared at her expectantly. "Well, he kissed me."

Angela's mouth fell open, "And?"

At least Brennan could be honest in her answer, "And nothing." That wasn't entirely true, "I slept in his bed again. But nothing happened." She purposefully neglected to tell her that it almost had.

Angela smiled and forced her mouth closed. She hugged her friend, "Honey, this is great."

They were interrupted by Booth. Angela couldn't help herself, "Hey, stud muffin." Booth grimaced.

"So she knows then. Ange, I know this is like asking a fish to stop swimming, but please try to keep it to yourself."

Angela pretended to zip her mouth and throw away the key, then smiled again. She'd been waiting for this moment for what felt like forever. "You know, Bren, you really don't have to be here today if you wanna take the day off. We're pretty much waiting on results and doing an ID."

Brenna sneaked a peek at Booth's hopeful face. It instantly dropped when she spoke, "No, I'm gonna stay." She looked at his face again, though he'd carefully arranged his features into a relaxed expression. The assessment caused her to tag on another statement, "Though if its alright, we could leave early. Go to dinner?" Booth's face lit up again and he nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll hang around here. Parker's not coming till Saturday and Hacker told me not to bother going in so I'll keep you guys company." And by *you guys* he meant Brennan.

The two shared a tender moment with Angela looking on knowingly. She laughed, "Alright, okay lovebirds. I'll leave you to it." She left before either of them had a chance to protest.

Booth pulled Brennan to him by the waist for a quick kiss, whilst Angela spied from outside the window. She smiled to herself and headed for the platform.

"So, Wong Foo's for dinner?" Booth's voice was hopeful.

Brennan nodded, "Of course. But come on," she prised his arms from around her, "let's go work."

He followed her out of the door, apparently Brennan didn't need to check her emails after all. "Hacker said this one should be pretty straight forward. As far as he knows there's nothing unusual."

She acknowledged his words with a nod, "How's the reconstruction going Zack?"

"Oh Dr. Brennan, I just finished."

Hodgins offered more information, "Ange is just getting us a face. Zack's looking for a murder weapon."

Zack nodded, "Yes, cause of death appears to be here," he pointed to a severely scratched bone, "the wound is congruent with a stabbing." He mimicked the action awkwardly. "Victim is Caucasian female, aged forty to fifty."

BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES

The day was okay for Brennan who was back where she loved, doing what she loved to be doing. She was looking forward to spending the evening with Booth but easily able to distract herself with work. For Booth, it was a different story. He watched and talked with everyone there, catching up with the squint squad, but ultimately, he didn't _want_ to be there. All he wanted was Brennan. So he suffered in silence, watching her and restraining himself from reaching out to touch her.

He could have sworn he'd earned himself some suspicious looks, especially from Hodgins, but he suspected he was being paranoid. More likely that he would have noticed the unusually large amount of space between Booth and Brennan than the occasional lingering glances.

"I just need to do a couple of things in the office, then we can go." Booth's head shot up from the ball he'd been holding and he put it down.

"Great." Once again, Booth's infectious smile spread, and a second later they were grinning madly at each other.

Hodgins looked at them curiously, "Go where? It's only six." Brennan was usually there much later, that was if she ever even left.

Brennan realised her mistake and Booth stepped in with the excuse, "We're going down to the range. I haven't shot a gun in ages." He didn't want any of them to follow them to the restaurant. Angela looked at Booth knowingly with a wide-eyed nod. He smiled at her and averted his gaze.

Hodgins seemed to accept the excuse and went back to examining a maggot. "Oh, and we won't see you till at least ten tomorrow."

Angela's eyes widened even more, if that were possible, but this time it really wasn't because of what she was thinking. "Why?" Brennan looked at him questioningly.

"Sweets called earlier, we gotta go see him tomorrow morning. Appointment's at nine."

Booth pulled Brennan's lab coat off before she had a chance to take another look at the body, "We'll see you guys tomorrow. Come on Bones, your office, then we're leaving."


	23. You love it, don't you?

**A/N: Two shorter chapters for you today…**

**Chapter 23: 'You love it, don't you?'**

"Are you gonna keep calling me Bones?" The question was out of the blue. They'd been sat at their table waiting for Sid to bring them their food for five minutes when she'd asked.

Booth looked at her, unsure of how to answer, "I dunno, are you gonna keep calling me Booth?"

"Yes. Maybe. I'm not sure," he smiled at the change of direction, "What do you want me to call you?"

He thought about that for a second and shrugged, "I don't really care. So, you want me to stop calling you Bones? Cos you know I'm not sure i-"

She cut him off with a shake of the head, "I…" She was a little embarrassed by this, "I like Bones."

"Wha- But I thought you hated it?"

"I _did." _Admittedly, the nickname had grown on her. There were two reasons she liked it. Firstly, it had been the one constant in her life. When her father had turned up, and told her that everything she had thought to be true, was in fact a lie; that her birth name was actually Joy Keenan, Bones had stayed the same. Since she'd met Booth, there were times when she'd doubted Joy Keenan, doubted Temperance Brennan, but never Bones. The second reason was the exact same reason that Booth hoped she wouldn't reject the name. It was _his _name for her; she was _his _Bones. Every time he said the name, it reminded her that their relationship was something different. And she always knew that the name was used out of affection. Not once had he used it with the intention of being cruel, always out of love. Only once had anybody else ever uttered the name; and that had been his son.

He leaned forwards across the table, and she met him halfway with a smile. "I knew it. You love it, don't you?"

"Shut up Booth." She covered his mouth with her own, the smile ever-present.

They were interrupted by Sid, clearing his throat uncomfortably. Brennan pulled away. "About time," Sid said. He'd watched so many of their evenings together, watched the way their relationship had developed, watched how comfortable they had become in each other's company. He had known that the development was inevitable.

BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES

"Are you ready to go?"

Brennan wiped her mouth with the napkin and nodded. They'd stayed for three courses, and the meal had been filled with laughter and amorous exchanges. Booth got up first, and offered a hand as they left with a wave goodbye to Sid.

He turned around once they were in the open air. It was dark now, the ground very slightly damp. "Where are we going then?" They'd made no arrangement thus far.

Brennan shrugged, "My place?" He smiled, happy that she obviously wasn't ready to part ways.

"Great, let's go." He released her hand, freeing his arm so that he could drape it around her as they walked.


	24. She felt it too

**Chapter 24: 'She felt it too.'**

"Still no TV?" The room looked empty to Booth without one.

"No." She answered simply. She hadn't felt the need for one. If she needed something to do, she read; if she needed to hear the news, she turned on the radio.

"Ah well, I'm sure we'll think of something else to do." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he sauntered over to her.

She found herself gently pushed against the wall as their lips met, letting him pull her jacket down her arms and smiling as he threw it in the general direction of the sofa, before his hands returned to her. One held her to him, flat against the bottom of her back whilst the other cupped her neck.

He pulled away for one short moment to smile at her, she grinned back as her hands moved to his chest, then tugged at the bottom of his shirt. He lifted his arms, allowing her to pull the shirt over his head, their lips parting for only a couple of seconds. His hands reluctantly moved away from her skin and started to delicately undo the buttons of her shirt, kissing her all over her bare skin once the material was gone.

They kicked off their shoes and headed for the bedroom, Booth kicking the door shut behind him as they tumbled onto the bed; he knew there was no one else home but it felt right. Holding himself above her with one arm, the other moved to unfasten the button of her jeans, his hand lingering as it crossed her stomach. She wriggled out of the trousers and moved to help him do the same.

He broke away from her for a moment, determined to tell her what he had wanted to tell her for all those years, but worried that it would scare her away. As he hovered over her, he closed his eyes, "I love you."

Brennan smiled – why did he always think closing his eyes somehow made things better? She lifted her head off of the bed to kiss him again. "I feel it too." The words escaped her mouth inbetween kisses. She still wasn't sure that love even existed, but she was sure that whatever it was that Booth felt, she felt too. He pulled away to look at her, to see if there was any scepticism in her eyes. There wasn't. He gave a deep laugh and leant down to kiss her again.


	25. Max crumpled to the floor

**A/N: I'm going away in a couple of days and I don't wanna leave you hanging, so I'll be uploading the remaining chapters before I go. There are four or five left…**

**Chapter 25: 'Max crumpled to the floor.'**

Booth was woken by the sun beaming through the window, and he squinted his eyes adjusted. Today it came as less of a shock to find Brennan in bed with him; he liked that. After watching her calm features for a minute, he gently manoeuvred out from under her, pulling on a pair of boxers and leaving the room.

He rubbed his eyes as he walked towards the kitchen, trying to adjust to his new surroundings. Looking around he realised that Brennan wasn't joking when she said she didn't have anything in; the statement always led to takeout. He cracked an egg as he remembered a pancake recipe his grandfather had taught him.

Max Keenan sat calmly in the armchair across the room, waiting for Booth to notice his presence. When he'd seen the clothes scattered over the apartment, he'd guessed his daughter had company, but Booth was the last person he'd expected to see.

The last time he'd visited, both of them had been insistent that nothing was going on; but the naked man in front of him suggested otherwise. Booth wore nothing but a pair of Calvin Klein's, working easily in his daughter's kitchen. Max wondered whether they had been lying to him the last time he'd been there, or whether things had developed. Either way, he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass.

He got up silently, and moved towards the man. Max lifted a hand to tap him on the shoulder, swinging an arm to strike Booth in the face without warning. Booth staggered, but remained upright as he blindly threw a punch that caught Max. Older than his opponent, Max crumpled to the floor. "What the- Max?" Booth's voice raised an octave as he said the man's name.

"Dad?" Booth turned to see Brennan wrapped in a dressing gown as she stared at the sight before her. She didn't suspect for an instant that Booth had brought any of it on himself, "What are you doing here?"

Max lifted his head off the floor, wearing a charming smile as always, "Hi honey, I was in the area."

BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES- BONES

Ten minutes later, Max sat in the armchair with Brennan and Booth opposite. Brennan was holding an ice pack to the side of his face, trying to stop the swelling.

"So, you two are…?"

Brennan answered, "Yes."

Max smiled, "Good." He'd always liked the idea. And Booth had proved he would protect her, he was good for her. Brennan looked brighter than he'd ever seen her.

"Good? Then why d'ya hit me?" Booth's face was still sore from the contact.

Max shrugged, "Guess it was to warn you to treat her right." He knew he would.

Booth sighed and Max looked to Brennan, "I know you two have work but I came to see if I could come see you at the weekend."

"Sure Dad, we'll have dinner." Their relationship had improved since his name had been cleared. She would look forward to the meal. "I'll call you tomorrow morning. Let you know where to meet me."

"Okay honey. I'll see you soon." With that he was gone and Booth and Brennan were left alone. Why he couldn't have called, neither of them had any idea.

Booth lifted his arm and clasped it around Brennan's wrist, pulling it away so he could kiss her, "Morning."

"Good morning."

"Oww!" Booth winced at the touch of her hand on his face.

"Oh, sorry." She picked up the ice pack again and held it to the emerging bruise as she kissed him.

He pushed himself off the couch, "I'll finish breakfast then."


	26. They had walked into the wrong building

**A/N: Take another look at the link on my profile for a pic of the necklace.**

**Chapter 26: 'Booth almost thought they had walked into the wrong building.'**

Booth and Brennan were approaching the door of Brennan's apartment. They'd been fighting to keep their hands off of each other all day, eager to spend the weekend alone. Brennan smiled as she tried to picture the look on Booth's face when he saw what her extended lunch break had been spent on. Little did she know, that he'd been out shopping too.

The door opened, and Booth frowned. Brennan mirrored his expression at the disappointing reaction, "I don't understand." Booth almost thought they had walked into the wrong building, but the thousands of books told him otherwise.

"Well, you always go on about how I don't have a TV…so I bought one."

"Wh- You mean…this thing is yours?" He looked at her, astonished, and then back at the monster of a machine in Brennan's flat. The sixty-inch screen would have dominated the room if it weren't for Brennan's towering bookcases. His face broke into a grin.

"Well…_ours,_" she corrected him, it wasn't as if she'd bought it for herself.

He walked to the sofa and turned the thing on, fiddling with the buttons to scan for channels, but then turning it off purposefully; he had something he needed to give to Brennan.

He turned to her on the couch and pulled a small brown paper bag out of his pocket. It had only been by chance that he'd stumbled across the piece of jewellery. He'd been walking down a road on his way to lunch when the figures had caught his eye. He'd asked the man in the shop to put two of them on a silver chain; the gift was perfect.

"I have something for you." Brennan eyed him curiously, then looked at the bag.

He offered it to her and she took it, emptying it's contents into the palm of her hand. Her face broke into a smile and she laughed quietly, "Booth."

He watched her face. "I thought you said I was brainy Smurf," she said. Her fingers turned the two figures; one brainy Smurf, one Smurfette.

He took the necklace from her hands and fastened the clasp around her neck, "You're both."

She smiled affectionately and leaned in to kiss him. "Hey Bones, do you mind if I bring Parker here tomorrow? It's just he's been bugging me about seeing you for ages."

Brennan raised her eyebrows sceptically, but it was true. Ever since he'd first met her, Booth's son had spoken fondly of _Dr. Bones._ "Yeah, sure."

"Great." He looked at her for a long moment, then gave into the urge, "Love you Bones."

She smiled back, "I fe-"

Booth interrupted her, "What's your problem with love?" His tone was still bright and his smile didn't leave his face. He wasn't angry; he knew she loved him, but would it hurt for her to admit it?

"I ju- There's no such thing. Love is simply a rel-"

He laughed, "Don't give me all that hormone crap." He approached the topic rationally, "You love your Dad right?"

She nodded slowly, she could see where this was going. "And you love Russ?" She nodded again. "So what, you can only love your family, is that it?"

"I love you too."

"So why- Wait, what? Did you just _agree _with me?" He beamed.

She nodded, "Yeah, I mean, you're right. I'd never thought about it like that before, but you're right. If I can feel love for my father and my brother, then rationally, I can feel love for you. And you love me, and I'm certain that I feel what you feel, therefore I love you." She looked into his eyes and in that moment, despite all rational thoughts, she could swear that she could see into his soul. He leaned in to kiss her passionately, and that night, the TV remained unused.


	27. What if he doesn't like me?

**Chapter 27: 'What if he doesn't like me?'**

"What if he doesn't like me?" Brennan voiced her biggest fear.

He looked across at her, the SUV now stationary. "What? Bones, what are you talking about? Parker already loves you. Ha…maybe it's a genetic thing." It wouldn't surprise him, Booth, Jared, Parker _and _Pops had all taken a liking to the anthropologist.

He pecked her on the cheek comfortingly and got out of the car.

Five minutes later, he returned, Parker in tow. "Hi Parker. How are you?" Brennan turned to smile at the boy as he climbed into the backseat and Booth joined her in the front.

"Hey Dr. Bones. I'm great."

"Hey Parker, tell Bones about that project you have to do for school."

"Daddy said if I asked nicely you would help. It's a science project, I have to make a poster about photosynthesis," he struggled with the word, "and do a presentation for the class. Please will you help?"

"Sure Parker. Sounds like fun."

He asked questions curiously until they reached her apartment again. Parker's jaw dropped at the sight of the flat screen, before rearranging into a smile resembling Booth's. "Woahhh."

The rest of the day was spent watching TV, playing outside in the park, and preparing Parker's project.

Parker and Booth stayed the night, and by the time the weekend was over, Brennan was one hundred per cent sure that she could fit right in with Booth and Parker's lives. Booth was just as convinced.


	28. Come with me

**Chapter 28: 'Come with me.'**

**2 months later…**

Brennan closed the blinds to her office as she tugged on her boyfriend's tie. Booth came willingly, capturing her lips in a sweet kiss. Their relationship had been kept a secret so far. Unbelievably, Angela and Max had both kept their mouths shut, and the relationship was going well, but Booth had something on his mind.

"Bones, when are we gonna tell people that we're…dating." He said the word reluctantly because to him, it felt like so much more.

Brennan leant back, looking into his eyes, "I dunno Booth. Does it really matter that nobody knows? It's easier like this for the moment."

Booth pulled away and turned his back to her. This wasn't the first time she'd brushed it off, but he was determined for it to be the last.

"It matters to me," he put his hands on his hips, "it feels like you're ashamed or somethin'. Why _should _we keep it a secret, it's not like we're breaking any rules." His voice had raised in volume and he was now shouting.

Brennan looked at his back timidly, "Are we having a fight? Are we gonna break up?"

Booth spun around instantly, taking a step closer, "What?"

"Are you breaking up with me?" Her voice was even, had it not been for the tears in her eyes, she would have looked unaffected. Booth cursed himself for doing this to her. He'd sworn to himself over and over that he'd do everything he could not to hurt her.

His hand rose to stroke her cheek and he smiled, "You've never done this before have you?"

"Done what?" Her eyes were questioning, he still hadn't said what she wanted to hear.

"A relationship, a _proper_ relationship."

"Wh- There was Sully."

Booth nodded, that had come close. "Okay, love then. You've never _loved _anyone."

She shook her head; _that_ she was sure of. "No Bones, I am _not_ breaking up with you." His voice had lowered to barely a whisper. "I couldn't do that. I told you I'd never leave." He leant forward to place a quick soft kiss on her lips, pulling away only enough to rest his forehead against hers.

In the silent moment, interrupted by only the sound of their breathing, Brennan reviewed her current situation. Booth was right, why _was _she so reluctant to tell anyone that they were involved. She loved him, he loved her, and despite all rationality telling her things weren't as simple as that, she didn't believe that he _would _leave her. She was worried that Booth had been about to break up with her, but inside, she knew he wouldn't. The fact that it obviously meant so much to him changed her perspective.

Brennan rested her hands on his chest and pushed him away a little. She opened her mouth to speak, closing it when she realised she didn't know how to say the things she wanted to say.

She took his hand and pulled him out of the room, "Come with me."

**A/N: Just one more chapter to go, it will be posted in the next few hours.  
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	29. I love you too Seeley

**Chapter 29: 'I love you too Seeley.'**

Seeley Booth was frowning as he was stood in front of the main entrance to the lab, unsure of what the hell to expect.

Brennan needed everyone to be looking. She had told Booth where to stand, and now she was on top of the platform. "Can you go get Hodgins and Cam?" She was speaking to Angela, who nodded with a confused frown and returned a couple of minutes later, their colleagues in tow. They were all there; Brennan, Cam, Sweets and Hodgins all stood atop the platform, hunched over a dead body.

Brennan smiled to herself at what she was about to do, feeling that she had well and truly entered a new chapter in her life. She left the platform with a parting comment, confident that one of them would see the following gesture. "We need a murder weapon."

It wasn't until Brennan was a metre away from Booth that anyone questioned her, "Umm, Dr. Brennan, why do you need me for this?" Sweets was the one who spoke.

Brennan ignored the voice, stopping right in front of Booth, their faces a few inches away. He looked into her eyes, searching for some clue about what the they were doing, his answer came quickly.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, completely confident in her actions, Brennan took hold of his tie like she had earlier, and pulled him forwards until their lips met.

The kiss lasted at least a minute, and was entirely inappropriate for the workplace, but neither of them cared. And apparently, the Jeffersonian team didn't either. Booth and Brennan were lost in the moment. All they could hear was the sound of each other, the gasping as they came up for air. All they felt was each other, their hands in each other's hair, their bare skin where it met. All they could _smell_ was each other, the pleasant natural aroma of each other that they were both so fond of.

Brennan was the one to pull away, and they smiled at each other as they parted. She looked back towards the platform, where every member of the team stood silent and open mouthed…apart from Angela. Angela was grinning, pleased not to have to keep the secret any longer.

Sweets asked a whispered question to the artist, "How long has this been going on?" His eyes were still fixed on his two patients and friends.

"A couple of months."

Sweets rolled his eyes and raised his voice so that everyone could hear, "How did I not notice this?"

Booth laughed and turned Brennan's head so that he could rest his head on hers again. She kissed him again briefly, then looked him straight in the eye, "Go pack your stuff up, I want you to move in."

He beamed back at her and laughed lightly, "Okay…love you Bones."

He walked towards the exit, holding onto her hand until she was out of reach, "I love you too Seeley."

**A/N: And that's the end. Please, everyone who's read, leave a final review to let me know what you thought. I'll be uploading another fic in a week or so, so keep an eye out. **

**W5Lex x**


	30. Chapter 30

Okay, first off, this isn't a new chapter. The fic is complete, and this is more of a notification than anything else.

I know I've spoken to a few of my readers about this already, and they'd shown interest, so I decided to add a post to the end of this fic. I have written a full length book. I totally understand if you're now scrabbling for the back button on your browser, so I'll be quick and to the point.

The book is called, 'Disparities,' self-published for Kindle under the pen name Elizabeth Cartwright. Here's a blurb:

_Essentially on their own after the death of their mother, Lucy and Riley Rossen are left with little choice but to travel all the way to Hawaii to live with a man they barely know. As it turns out, their mother's high school friend is a multi-billionaire with more compassion than they could possibly have expected, and it's there that they fall into a life with Skylar Anderton and his two closest friends. But Lucy fears she may jeopardize what they've found when she falls for Anderton's nineteen year old protégé, and so she quickly realizes that this new life may not be quite as easy as she'd hoped._

__Check the price in your region, but it's of a reasonable price everywhere as far as I know. I completely understand if you're interested but don't want to pay. In THAT case, follow me on social media. The book will be free at some point within the next couple of weeks, and I'll notify on Tumblr/Facebook/Twitter when I know when that day will be.

Obviously from my perspective I'd love for people to buy it, but I understand not everyone has the money, or even likes my writing that much.

Here's how to find me:

Facebook - search for the page Elizabeth Cartwright.

Tumblr -

Twitter - Cartwright_El

I think that's everything. If you made it to the end, thank you so much 3 I love you all :)


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